BALIBO

The Melbourne International Film Festival opened last night with the political thriller Balibo which tells the story of the five Australia-based journalists murdered while covering Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975 and that of another journalist Roger East, who was executed while trying to uncover what happened to them.

East Timorese president Jose Ramos Horta attended and spoke of the honesty and truth of the movie.

Honesty and truth is something that abounds at the MIFF which resisted blackmail attempts by the Chinese and supporters of Palestinian groups to ban its connections with aspects of the film art with which they disagree.

In the case of the Palestinians supported by British director of substandard movie fare Ken "Cock" Loach and the hypocrites at Australians for Palestine they really should take note of the theme of honesty and truth because the cause they are promoting could certainly do with some of that ingredient.

Here is yet another story about the lies which the Palestine lobby and its overworked propaganda machine promulgates - Another Tack: Self-exiled by guilt.

Don't expect to read about this in The Guardian, The Independent or our own Al Age. It can only be found in the blank pages.

However, it should be noted for the record that Jose Ramos Horta is a real leader and the Palestinians would do well to find one of his ilk to lead them into true peace with their neighbours.