Journo union demands response from Indonesian President on Balibo

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has asked Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to raise the banning of Robert Connolly’s film Balibo with Indonesian President Susilo Bamban Yudhoyono during his visit to Australia this week.

‘The fact that the government of Dr Yudhoyono will not even allow the film to be shown to the Indonesian public suggests that this matter is far from resolved,” said MEAA’s federal secretary Christopher Warren.

“As far as this country’s community of journalists is concerned, the failure of Indonesian power holders to acknowledge and take appropriate action for what happened in Balibo in 1975 represents an important barrier to the development of full and cordial relations between Australia and Indonesia.”

Last week, the Jakarta chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has filed a lawsuit against the Indonesian Censorship Institute (LSF) for banning Balibo. Wahyu Dhyatmika, chairman of the Jakarta chapter of AJI, told the press that it was “[President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono]’s homework to clear up this matter”.

The LSF banned the film – about Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor and the Australian journalists who died covering the events – when it was scheduled to screen at the Jakarta International Film Festival last December. Private screenings were organised after the film was censored. At the time, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the ban was to protect the international image of Indonesia, and Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik added that Balibo could damage relations between Australia, Indonesia and East Timor.

Yudhoyono will address the Australian Parliament tomorrow.

Miguel Gonzalez

topics BaliboIndonesiaMEAARobert Connolly

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Comments: 0

mike maskell 9 Mar 10

Am I the only one who is incensed , not only by the grovelling of our so called leaders to this murderous thug, but by the awarding him order of Australia awards, thereby reducing the Order of Australia to a mere political trinket? I feel sick.

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Robert Richards 9 Mar 10

Australian leaders have been grovelling to the Jakrta government ever since 1975. the Australian governments secret communications monitoring facility near Darwin listened in with interpreters to the Indonesian military radio traffic. They knew when the Indonesians would invade.They knew the Australian journos were in danger. They did nothing.
This is a festering sore which will not heal until the Indonesian government bring the guilty ones to trial.
The Australian government should also apologise for the mistakes of the past.

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