Australia denies troops killed two men in East Timor

CANBERRA - Australia's troop commander in East Timor has dismissed claims his soldiers were responsible for the deaths of two men, accusing local gangs of spreading rumours.

Dili's main newspaper, Suara Timor-Leste, has run a front page story saying the two men, whose bodies were found on Friday, were killed by Australian forces.

But the head of 1000 strong Australian deployment to East Timor, Brigadier Mal Rerden, says the report is false.

"Unfortunately the newspaper appears to have published just unfounded rumours based on what's getting out on the street," he told the ABC today.

"I think the stories are being manipulated by some elements and those groups, I guess they're motivations I'm not certain of.

"But clearly they don't want to have a professional, impartial security force in here, probably because we're stopping them doing some of the bad things that they want to do."

Australian soldiers had had no dealings with the men who were killed, Brig Rerden said.

Clashes between rival gangs in the country have left at least eight people dead and more than 50 wounded since last weekend.

The scale of the fighting, involving 200 to 300 people, has led United Nations officials to suggest the bloodshed may have been planned.

East Timor's national parliament has called for a single command for all the international forces in the country, headed by the UN.

The call has been echoed by the nation's army commander, who wants an investigation into the behaviour of Australian troops in Dili, amid claims they have taken sides in the conflict.

East Timor has been plagued by instability since rival security forces clashed in the capital Dili in April and May, after the government dismissed a third of the armed forces.

The violence killed 37 people and drove about 155,000 from their homes.

- AAP