§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 30 March 2001,Official Report, column 797W, (1) if he will make a statement on when the relatives of the British newsmen killed at Balibo, East Timor in 1975 were informed of the investigation of the United Nations; and by whom; [159517]
(2) if he will publish the FCO advice offered to British citizens resident in East Timor at the time of the Balibo conflict in 1975; [159515]
(3) what communications have taken place between the relatives of the British newsmen killed at Balibo, East Timor in 1975 and the FCO over the last 12 months; [159519]
(4) if it remains the view of his Department that the deaths of the British newsmen at Balibo in East Timor in 1975 were accidental; [159514]
(5) what investigations into the death of the British newsmen killed at Balibo, East Timor in 1975 were already under way prior to the formal UN announcement; [159518]
(6) what communications have taken place between the Australian Government and the FCO over the attack by Indonesian troops at Balibo in 1975. [159520]
§ Mr. BattleFollowing the arrival of the UN Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), a number of people volunteered fresh information about the events in Balibo in 1975. In the light of this, in August 2000, the UN Prosecutor General took the decision to open an investigation into the deaths. While the investigation continues it would be inappropriate to prejudge its findings.
The UK was not formally notified in advance of 15 September 2000, when UNTAET formally announced this decision to open an investigation. The FCO therefore did not have an opportunity to inform the relatives of the British journalists who died at Balibo beforehand. However, over the past year we have kept in regular touch with the relatives. I wrote to them most recently on 19 March. We have also maintained regular contact with the Australian Government.
There was no formal mechanism to issue travel advice to British citizens prior to the establishment of the FCO Travel Advice Unit in 1990.