SEARCH FOR REPORTER'S GRAVE

A move is  afoot to  try and locate  the  grave  of  Australian journalist  Roger East who was  killed when  Indonesia invaded  the  Portuguese Timor  capital , Dili , in  l975.   Furthermore, it  has  been suggested  a monument   should  be  raised  honouring  East  on  or  before next  year's  50th anniversary of  the invasion. 

There  is already a  small Roger East plaque  which was  arranged  by his family in  2000.

Nearby is another memorial to  that  fateful day  in 1975, marking the start  of  the  attack on   Dili ,  shown  below . 

The  wide  ranging   discussions  on  the  subject  have  included  the    suggestion  that  Australian actor  Anthony LaPaglia  be asked to play a leading  part  in  the  campaign .

He  played  East in the  film, Balibo,  about the five  members of  the Australian  news team  killed  on October  16 , l975 ,  at  the start of  the  incursion , based  on  Cover  Up, the book by Shirley Shackleton , whose  television  reporter  husband,  Greg, was one of  those murdered.

In the attempt to  find the exact spot where  East  was  supposedly buried  after being shot and thrown into the sea on December 8, l975,  it  has even been  suggested  that  a  US Department of  Defence  organisation , based  in Hawaii , which looks for the missing in  action graves  of  80,000  Americans,  might become involved  in a roundabout  way . 

This is  because  there is a site in  Dili, not far from where East  was possibly  interred , which might  contain the remains of  Japanese,  Australian  and   American  airmen .  Ground probing radar  could  be used in the  hunt  for East's remains.  

One  of  those  discussing   the proposal  is Darwin agronomist Robert Wesley-Smith , deeply involved in the East Timor   struggle , who  re- enacted Roger East  being  shot and  thrown into  the sea , below , on the 20th anniversary -

 

Wes , 82, has just produced  a  44pp , illustrated   booklet ,Timor Tales,  about the  long , bloody struggle , which includes articles he wrote over the years , some poems  by Timorese ,  1942  photos of Dili , a  map  used  by  Australian  commandoes  during   WWll and even a photo of the brave  November 28,1975  universal  declaration  of   independence  in  Dili ,  Roger  East , in shorts,  visible  with  a  camera  at  the historic event .  Wes  produced  an  earlier  E-book,   117 Days  in  Timor .

Hot  off  the press  Timor  Tales , Sam Kruger and Yamamoto plus Other Stories . The  person  featured on  the  cover  is  the late Sam Kruger who , while in charge of radio communications  on Guadalcanal during WW2, is said to have  played  a   part  in  Operation Vengeance,  the  shooting  down  by  Americans  of  the plane  in  which Japan's  Admiral- in - Chief   Isoruku  Yamamoto , mastermind of  the attack on  Pearl Harbour,   was  travelling. Kruger   was  also  involved  in   the  early  days  of  the  East Timor struggle ; he spent time in the Northern Territory  and   was buried   at   Alice  Springs . 

Wesley-Smith has passed on information about East's  likely grave site he  has gleaned  from  various sources . He  firmly  believes the Australian Embassy in  Timor - Leste should become  involved in  the  search .

Recently Melbourne  activist, John Waddingham ,   keeper of  the East Timor clearing house archive , came to Darwin, went to Timor- Leste . He is due back in Darwin in the coming  week and  will stay with  Wesley-Smith .

Human rights  advocate  and author ,  Pat  Walsh , who wrote  The Day Hope and History Rhymed in East Timor  , plus other  pieces on  East Timor, went to Timor Leste  this year and  made  inquiries , especially in relation to a possible  burial  site  near a  major government  building .

A former priest , he lived  in East Timor for  10  years  and with the suport of the  United Nations helped set up and run the ground breaking reconciliation commission . 

It is hoped that   Timor- Leste  president  ,  Jose  Ramos- Horta , a Nobel Peace Laureate ,  will   become  involved  in  the  Roger  East  proposal. The Australian Journalists' Association  has  been informed .

A veteran  reporter  with experience in several overseas troublespots , Roger East  came to  Darwin after Cyclone Tracy  and  met  up with old reporter friend , Peter  Blake ,they both having worked on the Hong Kong Star , a Darwin independent  newspaper named after The  Star .

East went to Timor to  investigate what happened to the Balibo 5. His despatches  about the   worsening situation   were flown   back to  Darwin  by  plane , where they were picked up  by a  woman  at the airport , photocopied , and distributed to news outlets, including Australian  Associated  Press .

In a lighthearted  covering note to one  , he  described himself as his mother's favourite son , who was  being shot  at  from many  angles. 

 A Balibo Five-Roger East Fellowship, an initiative of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA -was  set up to promote  journalism  in  Timor Leste .

(Timor,East,Hawaii.)