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| Down Under |
| Aussie SAS trooper cleared of kicking Timor militia corpse |
| 2003-08-09 |
| New Zealand drifts further away from the ANZUS alliance: An Australian SAS soldier charged with misconduct for allegedly kicking the corpse of an East Timorese militiaman was cleared by a military tribunal after the case against him collapsed. A defence force magistrate found the soldier not guilty of the charge after the prosecution was unable to proceed because Australian authorities could not guarantee anonymity for the soldier’s accusers from New Zealand Special Forces. The allegations centred on a gun battle on October 6, 1999, near Suai on East Timor’s border with West Timor, in which two militiamen were killed, nine wounded and more than 100 captured. Two SAS troops were also wounded in the firefight. The unidentified soldier was facing four charges of misconduct arising from complaints about his behaviour in the aftermath of the ambush. "The Defence Force magistrate decided that the identity of those New Zealand witnesses could not be protected to the extent required by New Zealand Defence Force," army spokesman Gerard Fogarty told ABC radio. "He could not do that without adversely impacting on the proper administration of justice." |
| Posted by:Zhang Fei |
| #7 YEAH, but I bet the Australian soldier made faces at the "victim" too--a grave breach of conduct/sarcasm/off |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-8-9 10:47:57 PM |
| #6 Ah, the old anonymous accuser trick, always a favorite of totalitarians of whatever flavor. Pissing off the Aussie SAS does seem...remarkably stupid? |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-8-9 9:59:40 PM |
| #5 Embarrassing for NZ zealots, and vindication for our Aussie compatriots, who I wouldn't dare challenge on competence or professionalism. Way to go Oz |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-9 6:25:33 PM |
| #4 Hell, I would've kicked the sorry bastard too if he had just shot at me. He may only have been playing dead to sucker me when I turned my back. These PC idiots just don't read their history books. Also, let me get this straight...it's totally PC to pump six rounds into the guy, but give the corpse a kick/nudge with your foot and your Charles Manson? Lastly, we're talking SAS. The elite of the military. Not a half ass trained 18 year old miltia puke. Another good example of don't believe everything you read. |
| Posted by: Paul 2003-8-9 4:42:53 PM |
| #3 They have horses in New Zealand, don't they? |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-8-9 4:34:09 PM |
| #2 You have to wonder about the training of New Zealand Defense Forces. I'm sure what happened was the Aussie SAS troup pushed the body over with his foot to make sure the soldier was dead, having both hands full with a loaded rifle. If he was in a hurry, he may have used more than normal force. If it was during, or immediately after, a firefight, the NZ twinkie needs to shed his uniform and go back to the family sheep ranch. Soldiering is work for men, not PC-approved twinkies. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-8-9 4:28:54 PM |
| #1 NZ, prolly the World PC-Stupid Poster Child, may come to regret having filed and pursued such unbelievably pointless charges against their next door neighbor's SAS. Mebbe they should go measure sheep farts, or something equally as useful. |
| Posted by: ·com 2003-8-9 12:19:01 PM |