§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) pursuant to his answer of 9 May 2002,Official Report, column 310W, on East Timor, why no information about the deaths of British citizens Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters killed in East Timor in 1975 was passed by the British Government to their families between 1975 and 1994; [57023]
633W(2) for what reason no information about the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters was passed to their families between 1977 and 1994. [59326]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienIn 1975–76 the British Government were in contact with the relatives of Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie to pass on information about their deaths.
I am informed that from our archived files it does not appear that any new information came to light between 1977 and 1994 that would require passing on to the families. In 1994 the relatives resumed contact with the FCO.
We have begun to prepare these documents for release to the families. This process is likely to take around a couple of weeks. We will then need to clear the documents with the Australian Government, which will take another month. We expect to release the documents as soon as possible after that.
§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Australian Government concerning the UN investigation into the deaths at Balibo, East Timor in 1975. [59898]
§ Mr. Mike O'Brien[holding reply of 10 June 2002]: Our diplomatic staff in Dili have maintained regular contact with their Australian colleagues on this issue.
§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government were informed of Indonesia's plans for a full scale invasion of East Timor in 1975. [59900]
§ Mr. Mike O'Brien[holding answer of 10 June 2002]: The British Government were of course aware of reports of Indonesian involvement in East Timor ahead of the invasion in 1975, but the situation was far from clear and reports were difficult to verify. In the absence of any British representation in the area, HMG had no independent means of doing so. The UK deplored the Indonesian invasion and never recognised the incorporation of East Timor into Indonesia.
§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he next plans to meet representatives of the Indonesian Government; and if he will raise the case of the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters in East Timor in 1975 at that meeting. [59897]
§ Mr. Mike O'Brien[holding answer 10 June 2002]: The Government continue to take an active interest in this case and have raised and will continue to raise our concerns with the Indonesian authorities at every appropriate opportunity.
§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role his Department has played in the UN investigation into the deaths at Balibo, East Timor in 1975. [59895]
§ Mr. Mike O'Brien[holding answer 10 June 2002]: British diplomatic staff in Dili have remained in close contact with UN investigation team in East Timor.
634W
§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make his Department's non-intelligence papers on the Balibo case available for study by the UN, the relatives and independent experts. [59896]
§ Mr. Mike O'Brien[holding answer 10 June 2002]: We have begun to prepare these documents for release to the families. This process is likely to take around a couple of weeks. We will then need to clear the documents with the Australian Government, which will take another month. We expect to release the documents as soon as possible after that.
§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of the UN investigation announced in September 2000 into the Balibo case, including the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters in East Timor in 1975; and if he will make a statement. [59894]
§ Mr. Mike O'Brien[holding answer 10 June 2002]: Denis McNamara, the Deputy SRSG in East Timor, has confirmed that the UN investigation remains open. Our Ambassador in Dili will continue to monitor developments closely.
§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 9 May 2002,Official Report, column 310W, on East Timor, what further information regarding the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters he has received from the new investigation. [62592]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienDenis McNamara, the Deputy SRSG in East Timor, has confirmed that the UN investigation into the death of the five journalists in 1975 remains open. The UN investigation team has submitted a request to the Office of the Attorney General of Indonesia to be allowed to interview possible witnesses in Indonesia. We will continue to maintain regular contact with the UN pending the outcome of the enquiry.