Dow Jones Newswires August 3, 2000

UN Peacekeeper Killed In Explosion In East Timor

DILI, East Timor (AP)--A U.N. peacekeeper was killed Thursday when a bomb exploded on a beach near East Timor's capital, Dili, officials from the world body said.

Spokesman for the U.N. peacekeepers, Norwegian army Col. Brynar Nymo said the Bangladeshi army engineer died while searching for unexploded ordinance on the beach.

Another Bangladeshi engineer was slightly injured in the blast at 9:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT). Their names were not released.

The area had been used as a firing range by international troops in the half-island territory.

The peacekeepers landed in East Timor in September to end an outbreak of violence by pro-Jakarta militia opposed to the territory's vote for independence from Indonesia the previous month.

Nymo said the Bangladeshis had been sweeping the beach for ordinance after three Portuguese peacekeepers were injured by an explosion last month.

"This is a reminder of how dangerous our job is here," Nymo said.

On July 24, New Zealand army Pvt. Leonard William Manning was killed in a fire fight with 10 suspected pro-Indonesian militiamen, who had crossed into U.N.-administered East Timor from West Timor.

On Wednesday, a squad of Australian soldiers shot dead two suspected militiamen in a gun battle in the same area.

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