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SYDNEY - Australian government officials pressured the foreign affairs minister to withhold news of the deaths of the Balibo Five, including New Zealand cameraman Gary Cunningham, from their families because it may have compromised national security, a inquest has been told.
An inquest into the death of one of the five Australia-based newsmen, Brian Peters, has heard evidence from Geoff Briot, who was the chief-of-staff and press secretary for foreign affairs minister Donald Willesee when the deaths occurred on October 16, 1975.
Official reports say Peters, Greg Shackleton, Cunningham, Tony Stewart, Malcolm Rennie and Mr Peters were killed accidentally in crossfire between Indonesian troops and Timorese militia in the East Timor town of Balibo.
The inquest has heard evidence that the five newsmen were deliberately gunned down by Indonesian soldiers.
Mr Briot, a "surprise witness" at the inquest, said Mr Willesee was leant on by the head of the defence department Arthur Tang and the head of the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO), Gordon Jockel, to keep the news of the deaths quiet.
"He was annoyed that he had been pretty heavily leant on not to say anything that might give away the secret information that he had," Mr Briot told Glebe Coroners Court.
"His reaction was that he wanted to inform the families of those who had been killed and he was effectively talked out of doing that on the grounds it may effect national security.
"But he was very unhappy about it."
When asked who was putting pressure on Mr Willesee, Mr Briot replied: "It was, as I understand it, by Mr Jockel and/or Sir Arthur Tang."
Mr Peters' sister Maureen Tolfree said outside the court that she wasn't informed of her brother's death until October 20, days after he died with the other journalists.
She said the notice did not come from any government authority, but in a phone call from Sydney journalist Gerald Stone, who was Peters' immediate boss at the time.
The inquest continues.
- AAP
