"Please let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Margaret Wilson, and I was born in Neilston and brought up in Barrhead before moving to live in London.
My cousin was Malcolm Rennie (also born in Neilston) and one of the so-called “Balibo five” journalists (three Australian, one New Zealander and two Britons) killed in 1975 at the beginning of Indonesia’s illegal annexation of East Timor. Perhaps I should substitute the word ‘murdered’ for killed.
When my cousin was killed. I don’t believe I had ever heard of East Timor. It was ‘a far away place of which I knew nothing’ For many years I completely accepted the then current version of events, i.e. that Malcolm had been hiding in a house which was blown up by a shell, the victim, with his colleagues of a civil war which I didn’t fully understand.
It was only when I saw the Pilger “Death of a Nation” film on TV that I began to question. My curiosity was aroused, but my naiveté was complete. I really believed then that the British government would be only too eager to answer my questions. How wrong I was!
I do not have time here to tell the story of the struggle of myself and the other relatives to get answers. The British relatives were briefly encouraged when Derek Fatchett showed an interest in Balibo and promised action. His untimely death was a blow to our hopes. I, together with another of Malcolm’s cousins have asked for a meeting with his successor Geoffrey Hoon. One month after this request our letter has not been acknowledge – it seems its business as usual at the foreign office.
Perhaps some of you wonder why the deaths of five Europeans twenty-four years ago should matter, given the scale of the suffering in East Timor. I believe that they do matter, for several reasons.
The Indonesian Government must have taken the silence of the British, Australian and New Zealand governments over these deaths as a tacit acceptance and approval of their illegal occupation.
What chance that the British government would protest the deaths of East Timorese if they were so afraid of upsetting the Indonesians that they would not even question the deaths of British citizens?
Another aspect is that the Balibo case illustrates how very little right ordinary citizens even in Western democracies have to information. To quote the foreign office – “we would like to be helpful, but unfortunately we have lost all the files in this case.”
When I hear of the latest reports of atrocities by Indonesian backed militias on UNAMET personnel and journalists, I have a bad feeling of déjà vu. It seems that the Indonesians have the same attitude to foreign observers of their deeds in East Timor as they did in 1975.
I believe the full Balibo story is a long way from being told (and no doubt Yunus Yosfiah would agree with that!) Much of what has been learned has been due to the persistence and diligence of journalists, and my hope would be that Scottish journalists would have their curiosity aroused about the death by murder of one of their own.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the initiative of those who started this group. There is an enormous reservoir of goodwill out there towards East Timor and its people and perhaps this group will act as a focus for this goodwill, and enable it to be translated into practical help.
Thankyou.
Margaret Wilson, sponsor of ETSSG.