An Australian SAS soldier, who was part of a joint operation with New Zealand, has been accused of brutalising the corpses of two militiamen after a firefight in East Timor in 1999.
A Four Corners investigation uncovered witness statements from 11 NZ SAS soldiers in which some say an Australian soldier shot a militiaman at close ranges and punched and kicked some of the bodies.
It took place outside Suai near the West Timor border during an operation by NZ and Australian SAS and British Special Boat Services.
The agencies were there to stop violence in the wake of the Timorese vote for independence but clashed with pro-Indonesia militia on October 6, 1999.
According to the Four Corners investigation, the incident prompted an NZ SAS officer to warn his soldiers against copying the behaviour.
One NZ SAS operator told Four Corners he heard several gunshots after the firefight was over.
"I heard a number of shots. Each time I heard one I went to ground. This happened about two or three times."
Another soldier said he believed the shots were fired into the corpses after the fight was over - which would be illegal.
"I heard someone call out, 'They're our rounds, just shooting the bodies,' or words to that effect."
A third SAS officer said he was told the Australian soldier put a few extra rounds into the bodies after they were dead. Another made an even more shocking claim telling, Four Corners one of the men wasn't dead when the Australian officer went to get the bodies. The SAS soldier said the Australian officer shot him when he got up to run away.
The claims were part of many others uncovered by the Four Corners investigation.
Australian Federal Police investigated the incident and according to documents obtained by Four Corners said someone "may have shot both men at short range with a 9mm pistol after they had been wounded".
The confidential review from 2001 also suggested the killings were revenge for the wounding of Australian soldiers.
It suggested the Australian Defence Force run a murder investigation. But ultimately investigators found witness statements and inconclusive post-mortems did not support a murder charge. The Australian officer accused was charged with kicking the corpses.
The New Zealand Defence Force said it is aware of the allegations by SAS soldiers.
"Due to the passage of time, many of the senior NZDF personnel who were involved in the East Timor operation, either on the ground or in more senior roles, have left the Services," The NZDF said in a statement.
"In some cases, they are deceased. The NZDF has, in researching various questions asked by the ABC, had difficulty locating some records, especially as most records have not been digitised, but has provided responses that are to the best of our knowledge accurate. "
The NZDF said it was made aware of concerns of detainee mistreatment that were raised by the NZDF Legal Officer in October 1999.
"Upon receipt of the concerns raised, in November 1999, the Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force at the time, instructed a senior NZ Army officer to raise the issues with the Commander of International Force East Timor (COMINTERFET) and recommended COMINTERFET initiate an investigation. This was an appropriate response consistent with our obligations under international law."
Special Operations Component Commander Colonel Duncan Roy said New Zealand has a strong relationship with Australia.
"[We] regularly and consistently conduct bilateral training and engagement, working together towards the security of our region," Roy said.
