<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>329112</docID> <postdate>2024-09-15 08:10:51</postdate> <headline>Dead man walking: Timor veteran’s brush with death</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-329113" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Dead-man-walking-Timor-veterans-brush-with-death-e1726351665732.webp" alt="" width="800" height="533" /></p> <caption>Mohammed Abdur Rahman says it's a miracle he and his colleagues survived. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Tess Ikonomou</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Having called himself a dead man walking, it's a miracle East Timor veteran Rahman is alive. </strong></p> <p>Nicknamed "Rami" by his army mates, Mohammed Abdur Rahman was deployed to Maliana, Timor in 2000 after transferring to the regular army just six months prior.</p> <p>His section of nine men was attacked in the dead of night at their 6th Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment base at Aidabasalala by pro-Indonesian militia on June 20 the year he arrived in Timor.</p> <p>The former peacekeeper recalled those moments, as explosives were lobbed at the front door, on the roof and outside their windows.</p> <p>"Six grenades landed, the automatic and semi-automatic fire started and we immediately got out," he told AAP.</p> <p>"This is a natural reaction for infantry soldiers, you defend your post.</p> <p>"It is a miracle that we actually survived. We called ourselves a dead man walking."</p> <p>The nation will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Australian service in East Timor which helped bring peace and security after Indonesia's occupation.</p> <p>The brutal regime began with the annexation of East Timor in 1975.</p> <p>Following the militia attack, Rahman recorded the immediate reactions of his fellow soldiers and took about 500 photographs and eight hours of video footage throughout his deployment.</p> <p>The former Lance Corporal said the anniversary commemorating Australian service was very special for him.</p> <p>"Australia basically planted a new nation on the world map ... it is one of the proudest moments in Australian military history," he said.</p> <p>Returning home after his deployment, Rahman continued his military service in the army and later the RAAF Reserves until 2009.</p> <p>He also created a United Nations Peacekeeping Exhibition, for which he was nominated for the UN Media peace prize.</p> <p>The veteran's exhibition was used to fundraise for the East Timor community and to fund projects in Oecusse, on the north-western coast of the country.</p> <p>Continuing a long tradition of service, Rahman who migrated from Bangladesh in the 1980s, works at Victoria's Immigration Museum and was appointed shrine governor at the Shrine of Remembrance.</p> <p>He said he loved presenting Australia's history to school students, local and international visitors.</p> <p>"It's fantastic to be part of our country," he said.</p> <p>"There's no other country like Australia."</p> <p>A National Commemorative Service will be held at the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial in Canberra next Friday, marking the 25th anniversary.</p> <p>Six Australians died during peace operations between 1999 and the end of 2012.</p> <p>More than 18,000 Australians served in East Timor.</p> </body>