By Lirio da Fonseca DILI, Feb 23 (Reuters) - A clash between Australian peacekeeping troops and East Timorese refugees camped near Dili airport on Friday left one civilian dead and three people injured, officials said. Canberra has 800 troops in East Timor, a continuance of the multinational peacekeeping force it led last year to quell civil unrest in one of the world's newest countries. The Australian military said the clash occurred after one of its soldiers was attacked and had to defend himself at the camp, resulting in the death of one Timorese civilian. "During the incident an ADF (Australian Defence Force) soldier was attacked with steel arrows, which are potentially lethal weapons. He defended himself by shooting the attacker," it said in a statement. Ivan Benitez-Aguirre, an Australian military spokesman in Dili, told reporters an Australian soldier and two East Timorese civilians were injured in the incident. In the statement, Australian military said it would investigate the shooting in cooperation with local authorities. However, a refugee spokesman said the violence began after Australian soldiers tried to arrest some displaced people who were guarding a camp. "They resisted by throwing rocks at the Australian soldiers who responded with shots and came inside the camp using an armoured vehicle. They dragged out those who were wounded and dead," Jose da Costa told reporters. The violence came as Australia warned of increased violence in the lead up to April presidential elections in East Timor, saying areas around Dili's airport and internally displaced persons' camps could be dangerous. "East Timor is moving towards a period of elections, beginning with the presidential elections on 9 April 2007. This could lead to a heightened phase of demonstrations and other public protest activity which could turn violent and deteriorate without warning," the warning said. "The areas near the airport, including the airport road and the areas around IDP camps, may be subject to ongoing violence which could break out without notice. There have also been recent disturbances around food storage sites," it said. "You should exercise extreme caution if passing through these areas. Australians and other foreigners have been caught up in recent incidents of armed robbery and assault." East Timor voted to split from Indonesia in 1999 after 24 years of often brutal Jakarta rule. After a period of U.N administration, the territory became independent in 2002. But an east-west divide in the impoverished nation erupted into chaos and gang violence in May following the sacking of 600 soldiers. High youth unemployment also plagues the country, where more than 100,000 people are displaced. Australia agreed in January to provide troops to protect the current U.N. mission -- approved by the council on Aug. 25 for six months -- and rapid response capacity for U.N. police. (Additional reporting by James Grubel in CANBERRA)
