An Australian Peacekeeping soldier died yesterday on his way to hospital in Dili after a rifle accidentally discharged while he was being transported in a military vehicle in Maliana district, near the border with West Timor, Indonesia.
Corporal Stuart Jones, 27 years old, received a wound to the chest.
A Board of Inquiry has been set up to investigate the incident.
The soldier was immediately evacuated by Black Hawk helicopter to the United Nations Military Hospital in Dili, but he died before arriving.
Corporal Jones had arrived in East Timor two weeks ago.
He is the third Peacekeeper to have died in East Timor in the past three weeks.
New Zealand Private Leonard Manning died on July 24 during a clash with suspected militia near the border, while Bangladeshi Peacekeeper Corporal Abdul Aziz died on August 3 after a grenade exploded while he was involved in a clearing operation on a beach near Dili.
A brief commemoration ceremony was held at Dili’s Comoro airport this afternoon for Corporal Jones, before his body was flown to Darwin where he has been based with the Australian Army.
MALAYSIA WILL OPEN MISSION IN EAST TIMOR
The Malaysian Foreign Minister, Syed Hamid Albar, met SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello today in Dili and said that Kuala Lumpur will soon open a diplomatic mission in East Timor.
In meetings with various heads of UNTAET departments, Minister Syed Hamid also stressed that Malaysia could assist East Timor in several areas, including training in diplomacy, agriculture, banking, education and health.
The minister arrived in Dili today to lead a delegation aimed at exploring areas of co-operation and business opportunities between both countries.
In the morning, the minister and the 21-strong delegation – representing both government and private business – toured Liquica to inspect the damage inflicted after the popular consultation last year.
The delegation includes officials from the agriculture and defense ministries, as well as police, prisons and land property.
