§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of the report by Mr. Tom Sherman on the deaths of Australian-based journalists at Balibo, East Timor, on 16th October 1975, which finds that two British citizens Mr. Brian Peters and Mr. Malcolm Rennie, were killed by members of an attacking force under Indonesian officers, they will ask the Indonesian Government to arrest former Colonel Dading Kalbuadi, the field commander of the assault on Balibo, and former Major Mohammad Yunus Yosfiah, who was in direct command of the Balibo troops, on murder charges; and whether they will ask the Indonesian Government to make a formal apology to the relatives of the British victims and offer them appropriate compensation.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)The Sherman report concludes that there is sufficient credible evidence to suggest that it is more likely than not that the journalists who died at Balibo on 16th October 1975 were killed by members of an attacking force under Indonesian officers consisting of Indonesian irregular troops and anti-Fretilin East Timorese, in circumstances of continuing fighting. In the light of this conclusion we have contacted the Australian and Indonesian Governments to indicate our continued close interest in this matter. We have also told the Indonesian Government that we await with interest their response to the Australian request for their views on how to seek further clarification, within Indonesia, of the events surrounding the deaths, as suggested by Mr. Sherman, with a view to establishing the full truth of what went on. Pending that response it would be premature to address the possibilities proposed by the noble Lord.