VIVAnews - The Indonesian government recommended the people not to perceive the Balibo Five movie only from one side. Australian government’s investigation on the death of five Australian journalists declared that they were killed in the 1975 Balibo battle.
“The investigation of the Australian government was concluded as such,” Indonesian Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah, said in Jakarta on Friday, December 4.
He also said that the Australian journalists were not the only ones victimized in the war taking place in Indonesia’s former territory which is now called Timor Leste. Indonesian military members and the locals were also killed. “It was a human tragedy. War correspondents have code of ethics and risks they have to take,” he said.
As an example, Faizasyah referred to an Indonesian journalist working for the Associated Press who died in the wars in Afghanistan.
He argues that the Balibo Five movie was made out of only one point of view and the novel author’s perspective with obscure sources of investigations.
The Film Censorship Institute (LSF) decided to ban the movie because according to Faizasyah, they have the authority to assess the appropriateness of a movie. “The government doesn’t interfere with what LSF is authorized for. They are professionals,” he said.
According to him, the LSF has its own criteria in reviewing a movie and considering national interest. Due to the existence of historical element that needs to be clarified, the institute decided to forbid the movie from being publicly screened to avoid polemic prolongation.
He went on by saying that the government would not be affected by the past. However, the incident was said to be a learning experience.
“Indonesia is really open to foreign films. But, we have procedures,” he said.
Films depicting Indonesia from a negative perspective should also be balanced with factual information on the country.
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Translated by: Nataya Ermanti
