Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Heru Andriyanto – Indonesia on Wednesday rejected an Australian Federal Police war-crimes investigation into the deaths of five foreign journalists allegedly killed by Indonesian troops in East Timor in 1975.

"The case is closed and we have no intention here to reopen it," Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told the Jakarta Globe, adding that since the ministry had only heard of the case from the media, it would seek clarification from Canberra.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Christian Zebua said all East Timor cases had been settled.

"All the suspected military officers have been tried by the [ad hoc] human rights tribunal. Cases like the so-called Balibo Five were closed a long time ago," he said. "We are now building this nation and don't want to move backwards or return to the past."

The AFP's surprise announcement on Wednesday came nearly two years after a coroner's investigation ruled that the journalists were murdered in the East Timor border town of Balibo as they tried to surrender to Indonesian forces during an incursion into East Timor two months ahead of the December invasion.

"Allegations of war crimes committed overseas give rise to complex legal and factual issues that require careful consideration by law enforcement agencies before deciding to investigate," the AFP said in a statement.

Indonesian Military spokesman Air Vice Marshall Sagom Tamboen said certain conditions must be met before Australian authorities could investigate the case.

The probe must "fulfill legal procedural requirements of the country, obtain permission from the Indonesian government for summoning the two generals [Sutiyoso and Yunus Yosfiah] to testify, and have sufficient evidence to reopen the cases," Tamboen said.

He said it fell on the government, not the military, to respond to the planned investigation.

"The military actually has nothing to do with the case because both [Sutiyoso and Yunus] are now civilians. They have retired from the military," Tamboen said. Sutiyoso is a former governor of Jakarta, while Yunus served as minister of information from 1998 to 1999.

Tamboen stressed that the alleged incident took place in East Timor, now a sovereign country that had agreed with Jakarta to mutually settle past issues through their joint Commission of Truth and Friendship.

"It means that Australia should also know that Indonesia and East Timor have mutually agreed to reach a peaceful settlement on past incidents. So Australia must first consult with East Timor and Indonesia about their plan to investigate the case," he said.

Indonesia has repeatedly said the journalists died in a crossfire between troops and East Timor forces.