What happened to the Balibo five?
Balibo Five: Investigation into deaths of five journalists dropped by Australian Federal Police. Photo: The Balibo Five were killed in October 1975. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has abandoned a war crimes investigation into the killing of five Australian newsmen at Balibo in East Timor in 1975.
What happened to Roger East?
He travelled to Portuguese Timor (now known as East Timor) in October 1975, following the story of the Balibo Five, who had been killed by Indonesian soldiers just weeks before….Roger East (journalist)
| Roger East | |
|---|---|
| Died | 8 December 1975 (aged 53) Dili, East Timor |
| Cause of death | Execution by shooting |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Who killed Balibo 5?
Roger East travelled to Balibo soon after to investigate the likely deaths of the Five and was later executed by members of the Indonesian military on the docks of Dili. In 2007, an Australian coroner ruled that they had been deliberately killed by Indonesian special forces soldiers.
What happened Witness K?
The former Australian spy dubbed Witness K has been given a three-month suspended sentence for conspiring to reveal classified information about an alleged spying operation during oil and gas treaty negotiations between Australia and East Timor.
Why did Australia spy on East Timor?
The Australia–East Timor spying scandal began in 2004 when the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) clandestinely planted covert listening devices in a room adjacent to the East Timor (Timor-Leste) Prime Minister’s Office at Dili, to obtain information in order to ensure Australia held the upper hand in …
Is Witness K in jail?
Witness K spared jail after pleading guilty to breaching secrecy laws over Timor-Leste bugging. Witness K has been spared jail time for his role in exposing Australia’s 2004 bugging of Timor-Leste with a Canberra court finding he appeared to be motivated by justice not personal gain.
What did witness K do?
Witness K made the Australian Government’s spying activities public after the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recommended he do so. David Irvine, ASIS head (2003-2009) authorised the operation. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who oversaw ASIS was overseas during the operation.
What did witness J do?
Witness J, also known by the pseudonyms Alan Johns and Prisoner 123458, is a former Australian intelligence officer who was subject to a secret trial (under section 22 of the National Security Information (NSI) Act), and secret imprisonment in 2018, for supposedly breaching Australian national security laws.
Did Australia help East Timor?
Australia led the INTERFET operation in 1999, and provided substantial forces to the subsequent United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor and its successor operations. As of 2015, 25 Australian military personnel were stationed in East Timor to deliver this assistance.
How did Australia cheat East Timor?
Is Witness J still in jail?
Witness J was released from custody in August 2019, subject to regular psychological testing and an overseas travel ban. In 2020 Witness J released the book “Here There Are Dragons”, based in his experiences while incarcerated in the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Why did Portuguese leave East Timor?
However, Portuguese control was reinstated after the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. Following the 1974 Portuguese revolution, Portugal effectively abandoned its colony in Timor and civil war between East Timorese political parties broke out in 1975.