A MILITARY inquiry into the death of an army private who died of a gunshot wound in Timor last year is likely to concentrate on circumstances surrounding the soldier's suicide.
The parents of 19-year-old Private Ashley Baker, who was found dead inside the Australian army barracks in Dili on November 5 last year, this morning requested a military inquiry into their son's death be conducted in private.
However the application was disallowed, and the military inquiry got underway as an open heading in Darwin this morning.
Ian and Kylie Baker released a statement to the press a short time ago saying they hoped the inquiry would give them some understanding of the circumstances leading up to their son's death.
"We are very proud of our son Ashley ? what he achieved in his short life and how he lived his life," Mr and Mrs Baker said.
"It may be that ultimately it is not possible for us to know why Ashley died. We hope through the inquiry to know and understand as much as possible of the circumstances leading up to our son's death."
Military counsel acting for the Baker family, Major Douglas Campbell, said in his application to have the inquiry heard in private this morning that "the overarching dominant matter that will be being investigated is that of a suicide".
"The nature of the evidence is such that one of the dominant questions raised will be that of suicide," Major Campbell said.
"We do not anticipate that the general facts surrounding the death of Private Baker will be controversial."
Senior Counsel assisting the commission, Colonel Michael Griffin, opposed Mr Baker's application to have the hearing conducted in private, saying that a number of Senate inquiries since 1999 had aired "disquiet" within the Australian community over secrecy in military inquiries which were seen "often enough as a military cover-up."
Colonel Griffin said the hurt or distress of family members who had to sit through a military inquiry was unfortunate, but not reason enough to have an inquiry held in private.
Commission of Inquiry president Andrew Kirkham QC considered the application to close the inquiry and decided to keep it open to the public.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23348951-2702,00.html
