View from Batugade Fort (border area), to Balibo hills.
Built in the mid 1600s. The 'Balibo five' journalists were filming from the fort on October 16 1975 (as the Indonesian military forces climbed the hills from the border at Batugade), shortly before they were murdered by ABRI special forces and associated militia.
Balibo Fort
The notorious 'Balibo declaration' signed by UDT, APODETI, KOTA and Trabalhista leaders on November 30 - criticising the de facto FRETILIN government's declaration of independence on November 28 - was used as a pretext for Operation Kommodo, the invasion of East Timor. According to the subsequent testimony of all four signatories, the statement was in fact prepared by ABRI Intel; signed in Bali, not West Timor; and (even according to the leader of APODETI - the small pro-integration party) signed under duress.
View from Balibo fort to border areas and West Timor.
A thousand UN troops were stationed here during the INTERFET mission.
Balibo House
In 2003, the Victorian Government bought and restored Balibo House. It now serves as a creche, library and vocational training centre for the town.
1 comment:
Lest we forget.
my friend was working in TL with children, and I packed up a carton of amusement for them and posted it, c/o the organisation my friend was working for. Never arrived.
When I enquired what might have happened, they said "oh everyone knows the TL mail is controlled by the Portugese mafia".
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