Little hope held for journalists

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33987, 30 October 1975, Page 17

Little hope held for journalists

<.\ew Zealand Press Association—Copyright) CANBERRA, October 29. There were no encouraging signs in inquiries about the fate of the live Australian journalists missing in Timor, the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Don Willesee) said today.

He told Senator Arthur Gietzelt (Labour, New South Wales) that he had hoped to have information about their fate but conditions on the island had made this so far too difficult to obtain.

“This is a tragic situation for their next of kin . . . 1 have no encouraging words in this regard,’’ he said. He said that all information indicated that the five men had been killed in the fighting in the town of Balibo, and documents which' ■ were being sent from Timor] and which were said to ‘belong to the men, would arrive in Australia shortly. He said that there were “disturbing” circumstances surrounding their supposed 'deaths, as varying accounts 'said that they were shot and then burned in the house in which they were sheltering, or that the house, used to store petrol, was hit by a' mortar and caught fire. “The Government cannot be certain about any of these i reports. Our efforts to have ian investigation of them have I not been successful.” the 'Minister said. ' Senator Willesee said that 'the Indonesian-Portuguese Timor border had been closed which had made it difficult for the third officer of the Australian Embassy in

Jakarta. Mr Richard Johnson, to get access to the town. Mr Johnson was still in Kupang, and had been unable to travel in the border areas. The Minister said that contacts with the anti-Fretilin forces had not yielded any results because of their hostility to Australia. They

thought that Australia was supplying Fretilin militarily. He said that the Government was continuing to try to get a final and authoritative account of what had happened. I "We are trying to ascertain ■'whether it is possible, to I make a direct visit to Balibo,” he said. “But as long as the fighting continues, and in the absence of any direct word from the anti-Fretilin forces, the chances of getting a ■ resolution on the matter are ■ not good.”