Attempt to assassinate President Ramos-Horta

Following the attempt to assassinate East Timor’s President José Ramos-Horta the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) warned on Monday of new troubles in the island republic. "The shots fired at the Nobel Prize winner mark a new low-point in the history of the young republic of East Timor”, said the GfbV Asia correspondent, Ulrich Delius. The attempt at assassination will make all efforts at a political evening-out between the government of East Timor and its critics all the more difficult. "It is particularly tragic that precisely Ramos-Horta was the target for the would-be assassins surrounding the rebel chief Alfredo Alves Reinado, for the President had never spoken out in favour of a tough military approach to the rebels, but sought talks with them”. In the autumn of 2007 Reinado had refused to give up the armed struggle against Ramos Horta. "The attempt at assassination is not only a bitter blow for democracy in East Timor, but also for all attempts to overcome the division of society in the very poor country which is suffering from the results of decades of the Indonesian genocide”, said Delius.

The former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of East Timor suffered a bullet wound in the stomach and has been meanwhile flown to Australia for medical treatment. For more than 20 years the GfbV has supported the work of Ramos-Hortas for the building-up of an independent state of East Timor.

The rebel leader Reinado was killed in the would-be assassination. The former head of the navy and commander of a unit of the military police deserted on 4th May 2006 and went into the mountains of East Timor. There he declared himself leader of 600 former soldiers, who had deserted the army on account of bad working conditions and lack of chances of promotion. Their protest against the government then in office under the controversial prime minister Mari Alkatiri led to severe disturbances in the spring of 2006, in which more than 30 people were killed and 150,000 residents left the capital. The charismatic rebel leader was very popular among the civilian population on account of his protest against corruption and nepotism, although he was wanted for his involvement in shootings.

Reinado was arrested on 25th July 2006 with some of his supporters, but on 30the August 2006 he managed to escape from prison. The many abortive attempts of the Australian military to catch the rebel leader made the protector of East Timor the laughing-stock of the people.