Roger East
Encyclopedia
Roger East was an Australia
n journalist
who was executed by the Indonesian military in its invasion of East Timor in 1975.
A freelance journalist
then working for the Australian Associated Press
(AAP), East came to Portuguese Timor
in October 1975 following up the story of the Balibo Five
who had been killed by the Indonesians in an incursion just weeks before. Previously, he had worked as a publicity officer for the Country Party in Queensland
, and had been working in Darwin as a press officer for the Darwin Reconstruction Commission, set up following the devastation of the city by Cyclone Tracy
.
At this time, East Timor was under de facto
rule of the Fretilin administration as the Portuguese
governor had retreated to the island of Atauro and was refusing to return to the capital Dili
. Fretilin would issue a UDI on 28 November.
East was one of only three journalists in Timor
— the others being Michael Richardson of The Age
and Jill Jolliffe
, a freelancer then working for Reuters
. When it became obvious a full-scale invasion by Indonesia was imminent, Richardson and Jolliffe decided to evacuate with the Red Cross to Darwin, but East decided to remain with the Timorese. East planned to retreat with Fretilin forces to the mountains in the interior and report from there to the outside world but he was captured by the Indonesians before this could happen. Eyewitnesses later reported that he was brought with many other prisoners to the Dili waterfront and executed by firing squad, along with scores of others.
Following the inquest into the death of the Balibo Five, there have been calls for a similar inquest into the death of East, in the Northern Territory
.
In Timothy Mo
's novel The Redundancy of Courage
, the character Bill Mabbely is based on Roger East.
Anthony LaPaglia
starred as Roger East in the Australian film Balibo
, released in 2009. It tells the story of the Balibo Five. The movie is co-written by David Williamson
and Robert Connolly
and is based upon Cover-Up, by Jill Jolliffe.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who was executed by the Indonesian military in its invasion of East Timor in 1975.
A freelance journalist
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
then working for the Australian Associated Press
Australian Associated Press
Australian Associated Press is Australia's national news agency. The organisation was established in 1935 by Fairfax and The Herald and Weekly Times.AAP employs more than 175 journalists who work in bureaux in all Australian states and territories...
(AAP), East came to Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor was the name of East Timor when it was under Portuguese control. During this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Netherlands East Indies, and later with Indonesia....
in October 1975 following up the story of the Balibo Five
Balibo Five
The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian television networks based in the town of Balibo in East Timor where they were killed on 16 October 1975 during Indonesian incursions prior to the invasion....
who had been killed by the Indonesians in an incursion just weeks before. Previously, he had worked as a publicity officer for the Country Party in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and had been working in Darwin as a press officer for the Darwin Reconstruction Commission, set up following the devastation of the city by Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974...
.
At this time, East Timor was under de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
rule of the Fretilin administration as the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
governor had retreated to the island of Atauro and was refusing to return to the capital Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
. Fretilin would issue a UDI on 28 November.
East was one of only three journalists in Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
— the others being Michael Richardson of The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
and Jill Jolliffe
Jill Jolliffe
Jill Jolliffe is an Australian journalist and author who has reported on East Timor since 1975. She witnessed the first incursions of Indonesian regular troops into East Timor in September 1975 and reported on the deaths of the Balibo Five the following month.Jolliffe lived in Portugal from 1978...
, a freelancer then working for Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
. When it became obvious a full-scale invasion by Indonesia was imminent, Richardson and Jolliffe decided to evacuate with the Red Cross to Darwin, but East decided to remain with the Timorese. East planned to retreat with Fretilin forces to the mountains in the interior and report from there to the outside world but he was captured by the Indonesians before this could happen. Eyewitnesses later reported that he was brought with many other prisoners to the Dili waterfront and executed by firing squad, along with scores of others.
Following the inquest into the death of the Balibo Five, there have been calls for a similar inquest into the death of East, in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
.
In Timothy Mo
Timothy Mo
Timothy Peter Mo is an Anglo-Chinese novelist. Born to a Welsh-Yorkshire mother and a Hong Kong Chinese father, Mo lived in Hong Kong until the age of 10 before he moved to Britain, studying at St John's College, Oxford.He self-publishes his books under the label "Paddleless Press".- Novels :*The...
's novel The Redundancy of Courage
The Redundancy of Courage
The Redundancy of Courage is a novel by Timothy Mo published in 1991. It is set in the fictitious country of Danu in Southeast Asia, which is based on East Timor, and is narrated by Adolph Ng, an ethnic Chinese businessman educated in Canada....
, the character Bill Mabbely is based on Roger East.
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
starred as Roger East in the Australian film Balibo
Balibo (2009 film)
Balibo is a 2009 Australian feature film that follows the story of the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were captured and killed whilst reporting on activities just prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975. The film is loosely based on the book Cover-Up, by Jill Jolliffe, an...
, released in 2009. It tells the story of the Balibo Five. The movie is co-written by David Williamson
David Williamson
David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
and Robert Connolly
Robert Connolly
Robert Connolly is a politically conscious film director, producer and screenwriter based in Melbourne, Australia.Connolly is best known as the director and writer of the feature films Balibo, Three Dollars and The Bank, and the producer of the high-profile Australian films Romulus My Father and...
and is based upon Cover-Up, by Jill Jolliffe.
External links
- Justice demanded for 'sixth Balibo journalist', ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Tuesday, 5 June 2007 - Forgotten Aussie of Dili article in The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (Western Australia)The Sunday Times, owned by News Limited, is a tabloid Sunday newspaper printed in Perth and distributed throughout Western Australia.-History:...
, 4 December 1995 - LaPaglia leads Balibo five thriller cast', ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Friday, 28 September 2007 - Roger East - Australia's Forgotten Journalist, Hindsight ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
- 14 December 2008