New Zealand soldiers killed a third militiaman yesterday during a close-range gun battle in East Timor and shot at another in a separate skirmish. No New Zealand soldiers were injured in the fights, which took place three hours apart about 6km northeast of Suai, near the West Timor border. The militiaman is the third killed by New Zealand troops in about a month, and the fourth killed by UN peacekeepers.

The senior New Zealand officer in East Timor, Brigadier Lou Gardiner, said the first gunfight, just after midnight New Zealand time, started after New Zealand soldiers saw a militia group approaching their position "in a manner that indicated an aggressive intent."

The militiamen were armed, and firing began when they came within about 20m of the New Zealanders. "It was a quick exchange ... We initiated a contact, there was return fire and the firefight was over fairly quickly. "It was fairly close range and, as is fortunate in these circumstances, we haven't received any casualties."

Soldiers found the militiaman's body at daylight, lying where the shooting began. He had been armed with a military-style SKS assault rifle and wore camouflage pants and a green shirt,

In the second exchange of fire, close to the first, a single militiaman was shot at but escaped. Brigadier Gardiner said there was no indication that any other militiamen were injured.

He was unsure of the exact location of the exchange but said the terrain around Suai ranged from flat plains on the coast to rugged hills further inland. Militiamen had been sighted on other occasions over the past three days.

Under the rules of engagement, militiamen moving in a military formation and openly displaying arms can be fired upon without warning. "We knew this militia group was in the area and certainly knew they were moving towards the border over the last three days," said Brigadier Gardiner. He said the militiaman's body had been taken back to Suai with the soldiers and would be identified. "All the police processes will take over. Obviously, whenever there's a death there will be a full investigation."