DILI, Dec 17 (Reuters) - A man was shot dead during a gang fight involving more than 100 people near the Australian embassy in East Timor's capital on Sunday, a family member said.

Joaquim, the brother of the dead man, told Reuters his brother was killed when international security forces fired into a crowd after the violence erupted in the Kampung Alor area.

Neither U.N. nor government officials could be immediately contacted for comment.

Australia led a force of 3,200 foreign peacekeepers to East Timor in late May after the tiny country descended into chaos following the sacking of 600 mutinous soldiers.

The territory of around a million people voted in a 1999 referendum for independence from Indonesia, which annexed it after Portugal ended its colonial rule in 1975.

East Timor became fully independent in 2002 after a period of U.N. administration.

AlertNet news is provided by

Delicio.us  |   Digg  |   NewsVine  |   Reddit                                                                                  Permalink