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Ramos Horta pressures Indonesia over Balibo killings

ABC News Online

Ramos-Horta says Indonesia to blame for journalist killings

Last Updated 17/11/2007, 12:39:17

East Timor's leader has called on Indonesia to take responsibility for the 1975 killing of five foreign reporters.

East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta says Indonesia must assume with courage and responsibility what happened," claiming the reporters had been "captured alive and killed."

The Indonesian government has rejected results from an Australian inquiry that found Indonesian soldiers had deliberately killed five British, Australian and New Zealand reporters to prevent them exposing the invasion of East Timor more than three decades ago.

Jakarta maintains the five died in crossfire in a skirmish ahead of Indonesia's invasion, but an Australian inquest's coroner says evidence exists war crimes may have been committed.

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ABC News Online

Ramos Horta pressures Indonesia over Balibo killings

Posted Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:00am AEDT

Deliberately killed: Cameraman Brian Peters was among five journalists shot dead in East Timor in 1975. (ABC) * mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/200711/20071117am05-balibo-meaa.mp3 Audio: mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/200711/20071117am05-balibo-meaa.mp3 Balibo 5 case highlights need for safety code: MEAA (AM) * http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200711/20071116-pm-baliboreax1%20.mp3 Audio: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200711/20071116-pm-baliboreax1%20.mp3 Indonesia Govt declares the Balibo 5 case closed (PM) * http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200711/20071116-pm-balibo1.mp3 Audio: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200711/20071116-pm-balibo1.mp3 Coroner finds Balibo five deliberately killed (PM) East Timorese President Dr Jose Ramos Horta has called on Indonesia to take responsibility for the deaths of five Australian-based reporters in 1975.

Yesterday, a New South Wales coroner found Indonesian soldiers had deliberately killed the journalists in the town of Balibo to prevent them reporting Indonesia's invasion of East Timor.

The Indonesian Government has categorically rejected the coroner's findings, saying the five men died in crossfire in a skirmish before the invasion.

Dr Ramos Horta says he was in Balibo around the time of the murders and he has always known the journalists could not have been victims of crossfire.