In 1975, whilst a Captain leading an Indonesian special forces unit into Balibo, East Timor, Yosfiah opened fire on Australian based journalists attempting to surrender, and ordered his men to do the same. After being killed, some of the journalists' bodies were dressed in Portuguese army uniforms and photographed with machine guns as if they had been killed fighting against the Indonesian forces. In February 2007 Mark Tedeschi QC, the counsel assisting the coroner at the inquest into the death of one of the journalists killed, Brian Peters, said Yosfiah had not responded to invitations to appear at the inquest. New South Wales Deputy State Coroner Dorelle Pinch in her finding found that: 'Brian Raymond Peters, in the company of fellow journalists Gary James Cunningham, Malcolm Harvie Rennie, Gregory John Shackleton and Anthony John Stewart, collectively known as “the Balibo Five”, died at Balibo in Timor-Leste on 16 October 1975 from wounds sustained when he was shot and/or stabbed deliberately, and not in the heat of battle, by members of the Indonesian Special Forces, including Christoforus da Silva and Captain Yunus Yosfiah on the orders of Captain Yosfiah, to prevent him from revealing that Indonesian Special Forces had participated in the attack on Balibo.' Several witnesses, including former operatives of the Timorese forces supporting the Indonesian invasion identified Yosfiah as a key participant in the murder of the journalists. As a consequence Coroner Pinch issued a report on 16 November 2007 that concluded he had participated in a war crime in being involved in the murders, punishable under the Geneva convention which Indonesia was and is a signatory to. with recommendation for prosecution to go to the Federal Attorney General.
He is also alleged to have killed Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, leader of the Fretilin in 1978.
Minister of Information
Yosfiah served as Minister of Information in the Habibie government in 1998 and 1999. His actions in removing restrictions on media and other forms of communication, including lifting media bans, have been described as, "One of the great breakthroughs of the Habibie administration".
Alleged funding of East Timor militias
It has been alleged that in 1999 Yosfiah was involved in channeling Indonesian government money to East Timoresemilitia groups prior to the East Timor independence vote and its bloody aftermath.
After retiring from TNI
Yosfiah retired from the TNI in 1999. In 2002 Yosfiah became a member of the Muslim-based United Development Party. Yosfiah was General Secretary of PPP in December 2003. In February 2007 Yosfiah unsuccessfully contested the election for party chairmanship of the PPP.
Timeline
Except where previously or otherwise cited the information in the timeline is from "Indonesia" a Southeast Asia Program Publications journal of Cornell University.
1944 born
1965 AMN 6
1966–197? RPKAD/Kopassandha
197?–1978 Commander Infantry Battalion 744, East Timor
1975 leads Indonesian forces into Balibo where killings of 5 journalists take place.
1977–1979 first commander of 744/Satya Yudha Bhakti Infantry Battalion, East Timor.
1978 alleged killing of Nicolao Lobato; marries East Timorese woman.
1979 Training at Fort Leavenworth, then, Colonel, Deputy Commander of the Special Forces' Group III in Makassar
? – 1985 Assistant for Operations to Chief of Staff, Kodam XVI, training at Armed Forces Staff and Command School, West Java.
