The Australian Defence Force has admitted its soldiers in East Timor have been in nine vehicle crashes since 2008 in which civilians have been injured, but it has ruled out paying compensation, Fairfax reported.
Two Timorese brothers - Adelino Madeira and Lorenco Madeira - were unable to work after one accident in May, causing their families to become destitute.
The paper said the refusal to pay compensation has fed ill-feeling towards the more than 400 Australian soldiers deployed in the country.
The ADF said it won't pay compensation to the Madeira brothers and other accident victims because under a Status of Forces Agreement it's East Timor's responsibility to meet any such claim.
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