On a stark wall in Balibo, west of the East Timorese capital of Dili, a lone handprint is etched in blood. It’s a powerful motif employed by the makers of the impressively bold Australian feature Balibo and serves as a potent reminder of a 34 year old cover up, and the dawn of one of the darkest periods in a nation’s history. By Jim Mitchell.
On October 16, 1975, five Australian journalists, forever labeled the Balibo Five – Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham and Tony Stewart of Channel 7, and Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters of Channel 9 – were murdered in cold blood by Indonesian militia after filming that country’s invasion of East Timor. They were claimed to have been killed while caught in a cross fire.
