FILM CHALLENGES GOI VERSION OF EAST TIMOR INVASION

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 002010

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/ANP, EAP/RSP
NSC FOR D.WALTON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2019
TAGS: PREL SOCI ID AS TT
SUBJECT: FILM CHALLENGES GOI VERSION OF EAST TIMOR INVASION
AND DEATHS OF FOREIGN JOURNALISTS

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Indonesian censors have voted to ban the
Australian film "Balibo," which alleges that Indonesian
troops deliberately killed five foreign journalists during
the 1975 invasion of East Timor. The ban may not be legally
enforceable and activists have already screened the film in
Jakarta. The GOI maintains that the journalists died in a
crossfire between Indonesian forces and Timorese rebels.
Indonesian activists have condemned the ban and some
legislators have called for hearings. The ban may also cause
friction in Indonesia-Australian relations, especially given
an Australian police decision to reopen an investigation into
the journalists' death. END SUMMARY.

CONTROVERSIAL FILM BANNED, SORT OF


2. (U) The Indonesian Film Censorship Institute (LSF) has
voted to ban the Australian film "Balibo," which depicts
Indonesian troops deliberately killing five foreign
journalists, including two Australians, two British and one
New Zealander in 1975. A GOI investigation maintained that
the five were killed during the invasion in a crossfire
between Indonesian troops and Timorese rebels. However, LSF
officials have not yet signed documents finalizing the ban, a
fact which prevents the police or prosecutors from enforcing
it.


3. (U) A Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) spokesman
said the LSF acted on the basis of established guidelines and
that the government had not intervened in its deliberations
about the film. Several current and former military
officials hailed the LSF decision and said that the film was
an inaccurate portrayal of historical events. Although they
had scheduled showings, the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents'
Club and the Jakarta International Film Festival both decided
not to screen the film in order to not further enflame the
controversy. However, the Alliance of Independent
Journalists (AJI) screened the film three times without
incident.

SWIFT REACTION


4. (U) Journalists and civil society groups condemned the
LSF's action. Ezki Syuanto of the AJI said that such a ban
had no place in a democratic Indonesia. She charged that the
LSF acted under political pressure and questioned official
claims that there was popular support for banning the film.


5. (U) Parliamentarians also weighed in on both sides of the
issue. Legislator Eko Hendro Purnomo, a former comedian and
member of a parliamentary commission responsible for arts and
culture, labeled the ban "paranoid." He called on
legislators to hold hearings to question Culture and Tourism
Minister Jero Wacik and LSF officials over the matter.
However, Kemal Stamboel, chairman of the parliamentary
commission on foreign affairs and defense, defended the ban.
He said the LSF acted correctly in banning a movie that might
offend the Indonesian public.

POTENTIAL BILATERAL ISSUE


6. (C) If it continues, the controversy over the film may
cause difficulties in Indonesia-Australian relations. Many
Indonesians resent Australia's support for East Timor's
independence and remain very sensitive about the matter. The
decision to ban the film came two months after an Australian
police decision to reopen an official investigation into the
journalists' death. That move came after a coroner's inquest
found that the five had been intentionally killed, a finding
the GOI categorically rejects.
HUME