Balibo Page #3

Jos?

Horta?

With some of the soldiers,

so we should be...

Thank you for your concern, Tony.

Has he said

that he'll protect you?

Ah, in a sense.

I... yeah.

In and out.

Malcolm, in and out. Malcolm.

Do you hear that?

Huh?

- Helicopter?

- Yes.

Is that one of yours?

Are you f***ing kidding me?

Ah!

Here we are, boys.

Yeah, this Balibo.

No, stay in the car.

Just stay in the car.

Australian.

Hello.

Sabika.

Greg Shackleton, Channel 7.

STEWART:
Greg, can we get out?

SHACKLETON Ah, do you mind

if my men get out of the car?

Yeah, please.

- From Australia?

- Yes.

- How are you?

- I'm very well.

- G'day.

- Welcome.

How're you going, mate?

Tony Stewart.

We spoke to Jos Horta.

Yes. I did get the message,

but the situation here is very tense.

Okay,

well I think that suits us.

Do you mind if we ah...

our camera equipment?

Camera equipment.

Yeah, of course.

I can send some of

my soldiers to help you.

Mister.

Cigarette.

Yeah. Oh, you want one?

- Yeah, thank you.

- Yeah, go ahead.

A 60 man Fretilin garrison is here

and there are rumours...

There are rumours

that Indonesian soldiers...

are making their way up

the road from Batugade.

Ready to go.

Alright, three, two,...

The buildings here are deserted,

and strewn with rubbish,

yet the spectacular

flowers and flame trees remain.

The 60 man Fretilin garrison is here,

and there are rumours

that Indonesian soldiers...

are making their way

up the road from Batugade.

We spoke to one soldier today...

who believes that a potion

given to him by his family...

Go! Go! Go!

You alright?

Are you shot?

No, I'm alright. It's my ankle.

You're very graceful.

You're okay.

Oh my God.

Oh, that was f***ing crazy.

- Okay.

- I want to go.

I want to go.

- Now you want to go back, huh?

- Yeah.

Yeah, you see how dangerous it is.

I told you.

You didn't believe me.

Okay.

We're going to walk.

There should be a village about

half a kilometre.

We walk there, they have a vehicle.

- We get in the vehicle ...

- No, no.

No, no, we go back to the Dili

and we start a news agency.

No, when I said I wanted to go,

I mean I want to go home.

I want to go to Australia.

I can't do this, mate.

I told you you need

somebody younger.

You're alright. You're okay.

We'll go back to Dili.

- We go back to Dili.

- No.

- We made a deal.

- I'm sorry...

I showed you this.

I told you that I would

bring you here...

and that you would

run the agency.

- I can't do it.

- I brought you here.

I can't do it.

Okay.

Huh?

And your journalists?

Somebody else

will find out about them.

What about my country?

What about what is happening, huh?

- What about my country?

- That's your problem.

That's your problem.

Okay, my problem. My problem.

Okay, my problem.

Well,

did you happen to notice...

that the helicopter that

tried to kill us was American?

No, I was too busy

trying not to get shot.

Ah, well it was.

Supplied by the American government.

And how did the Indonesians pay

for such a marvellous machine of war?

Pounds, Roger. British money.

And how did this

very expensive American helicopter

find us in the middle of nowhere?

Hmm?

Intelligence provided

by your Australian government.

They know you are here, Roger,

because your country

told them you are here.

Just like they told them

about the journalists.

Don't you think this would be at

the highest levels of security, hmm?

In a war one hour away that your

government has signed off on?

And Australians are in danger, hmm?

Right, everyone okay? Tony?

We stay here tonight.

It's safe.

Safe enough.

It's a famous legend.

The birth of our country.

We want to ask,

why the Indonesians

invade our country?

Why the Portuguese doesn't help us?

Well,

we are three journalists here.

We are going to find out why

and try and help to find out.

We'll try very hard to find out

some answers for you.

Something happened here last night

which moved us very deeply.

Something so far removed

from our experience as Australians,

and yet so inextricably

interwoven within...

the atmosphere of this place...

that we'll find it very difficult

to convey to you.

Sitting on woven mats...

under a thatched roof,

in a hut with no walls,

we were the target...

of a barrage of questioning from men

who know they may die tomorrow,

and cannot understand why

the rest of the world does not care.

Why, they ask,

are the Indonesians invading us?

Why, they ask,

if the Indonesians believe that

Fretilin is Communist...

do they not send

a delegation to Dili to find out?

Why, they ask,

are the Australians not helping us?

When the Japanese invaded,

they did help us.

Who, they ask,

will pay for the terrible

damage to our homes?

My main answer was that Australia

would not send forces here.

That's impossible.

However, I said we could ask...

that this fighting is raised

at the United Nations.

That was possible.

At that, the second in command

rose to his feet and exclaimed,

"Comrade journalist".

He shook my hand,

the rest shook my hand,

and we were applauded

because we are Australians.

That's all they want,

for the United Nations to care about

what is happening here.

The emotion here last

night was so strong,

that we, all three of us,

felt we should be able to reach out

into the warm night air and touch it.

Greg Shackleton,

from an unnamed village,

which we will remember forever,

in Portuguese Timor.

You alright?

Yeah, mate.

Oh God.

No.

Oh God.

Savages.

Savages!

Savages.

Roger.

Yeah, mm, it's like magic,

Malcolm. Feet hurting?

- The big one? No, no. No.

- We get you some army boots.

No problem.

Brian. Brian.

We have company.

Here they come.

- Jos?

- Hmm?

- Fretilin?

- Yeah.

Heads up, boys.

It's okay. It's okay, Brian.

It's Greg Shackleton at 7.

Channel 9 are here.

Oh, f***!

- What are they doing here?

- F***ing hell.

I'm not getting out, Greg.

You are colleagues, huh?

Channel 7. Channel 9.

You're friends, no?

Yeah.

Malcolm? How are ya?

Didn't think anyone was watching

Channel 9 news anymore.

I thought you guys

weren't going to turn up.

- Tony Stewart.

- Friends.

Huh? Little competition?

You should have seen

the firefight here last night, mate.

All over the place.

We haven't seen anything.

We just got a bottle of wine for you.

Come, come, we have a drink.

Thought you guys

might want a drink of wine.

Now we can be friends.

Good shooting?

So your driver was Ximines?

Ximines, yeah.

This is where they live.

This is their home,

so they're going to stay here.

Yes.

Have you got a hold?

Alright, whip right. Whip right.

No, no, right, right, right.

- Focus.

- Yeah.

Ha, you went left.

CUNNINGHAM :

Tell him about the ulcer, Tony.

- How old are you?

- 21. I had an ulcer.

Mum said it was

because all I ate was...

Brothers.

We are going for patrol if you

want to come with us, get some film.

Right now.

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