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Doctors hopeful for Timor leader East Timor under emergency order
(about 2 hours later)
Australian doctors are hopeful East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta will recover from bullet wounds received during an attack on his home by rebels. East Timor's acting leader has banned rallies and appealed for calm, a day after President Jose Ramos-Horta was shot in an attack by rebel soldiers.
Mr Ramos-Horta was airlifted to Australia having been shot three times in the stomach and chest. Vicente Gutterres formalised a two-day state of emergency that expanded police powers and imposed a night-time curfew.
A state of emergency is in force and police powers have been extended by East Timor's acting president. Mr Ramos-Horta remains in a serious but stable condition in the Darwin hospital where he was flown after the attack.
US President Bush condemned the attack and said it would not derail democracy in the fledging country. Leaders around the world have condemned the attack, which East Timor's leaders have called an attempted coup.
The UN Security Council has also denounced the attempt on Mr Ramos-Horta's life and wished him a speedy recovery. The rebels also targeted Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao but he was not injured.
Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado and another rebel died in the assassination attempt on Mr Ramos-Horta. The apparently coordinated attacks have raised fears of renewed violence in East Timor, which saw widespread unrest and street battles in mid-2006.
Heavy patrols 'Extraordinary situation'
In a televised address on Tuesday, acting President Vicente Gutterres said demonstrations were banned, and that police would have powers to raid homes at will. Speaking in a televised address, Mr Gutterres announced the special measures.
Dili is reported to be quiet and heavily patrolled by local and foreign security forces.
JOSE RAMOS-HORTA Founder of East Timor's independence movementSpent 24 years in exile after Indonesia invadedWon Nobel Peace Prize in 1996Former journalist, fluent in five languages Unrest fears after shootingTimorese shock at shootingIn pictures: Timor leader shotJOSE RAMOS-HORTA Founder of East Timor's independence movementSpent 24 years in exile after Indonesia invadedWon Nobel Peace Prize in 1996Former journalist, fluent in five languages Unrest fears after shootingTimorese shock at shootingIn pictures: Timor leader shot
Australian PM Kevin Rudd pledged to send more peacekeepers to the small Pacific half-island state. "Our country is right now in an extraordinary situation where a state of emergency will bring us back to normality," he said. "I ask for your help."
He said the "attempt to assassinate the democratically elected leadership of a close friend and neighbour of Australia's is a deeply disturbing development". The 48-hour emergency order bans all public gatherings and meetings. Residents must remain at home between the hours of 2000 and 0600.
An Australian-led UN force has been in charge of security in the capital since mid-2006. Extra Australian troops have begun arriving in East Timor to reinforce peacekeepers and help boost security. An Australian warship is also in place off the coast of East Timor.
Peacekeepers were invited into the country to quell violent clashes between police and the military, triggered by then Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri's decision to sack a third of the armed forces. Peacekeepers and police were out in force on the streets of Dili, where the situation was reported to be calm.
Loss of blood But many people spoke of a sense of unease.
After the shooting, Mr Ramos-Horta was taken to a hospital run by the Australian military in Dili, and was later evacuated to Darwin. "I am going back home early because I'm afraid of gang fighting or protests," student Antonio Gomes told Reuters news agency.
class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7238677.stm">Who are the rebel soldiers? class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/378959.stm">Profile: Jose Ramos-Horta His condition is described as "serious but stable", and the Darwin hospital's general manager said he was hopeful for a full recovery. Emergency surgery
"Doctors believe that Jose Ramos-Horta's fitness and mental strength have been decisive factors," Dr Len Notaras told the BBC. In Darwin, doctors treating Mr Ramos-Horta said he would need further surgery, but said they were hopeful for a full recovery.
"After losing such a huge amount of blood in the shooting, his medical team has said he's very fortunate to have survived." class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7238677.stm">Who are the rebel soldiers? class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/378959.stm">Profile: Jose Ramos-Horta
Dr Notaras said three surgeons had operated on Mr Ramos-Horta for more than two hours on Monday night, dressing wounds and removing shrapnel. Dr Len Notaras said three surgeons had operated on Mr Ramos-Horta for more than two hours on Monday night, dressing wounds and removing shrapnel.
The Nobel peace laureate will undergo further surgery. "After losing such a huge amount of blood in the shooting, his medical team has said he's very fortunate to have survived," he told the BBC.
East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who was targeted in a separate incident but was unharmed, described the events as a coup attempt. The veteran politician was shot three times in the stomach and chest in the early-morning attack at his residence in Dili.
Shots were also fired at Mr Gusmao's convoy, shortly after the attack on Mr Ramos-Horta, but no-one was hurt. His bodyguard was also injured and two rebels soldiers, including fugitive leader Alfredo Reinado, were killed. Rebels also shot at a car carrying Mr Gusmao, but no-one was hurt.
Unrest fear Reinado, a former military officer, had been on the run since the wave of violence that swept through East Timor in mid-2006.
In 2006, at least 37 people were killed in several weeks of fighting on the small Pacific island and more than 150,000 were forced to flee their homes. A decision by then Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri to sack 600 soldiers triggered weeks of clashes between factions of the police and the army.
Jose Ramos-Horta won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7230000/newsid_7238100?redirect=7238181.stm&news=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1&asb=1" onClick="javascript:newsi.utils.av.launch({el:this});return false;">Jose Ramos-Horta At least 37 people died and more than 150,000 were displaced. Australian-led peacekeepers were brought in to help restore security.
Reinado, a former naval commander, was accused of being involved in several shooting incidents during the violence and charged with murder. Reinado was accused of being involved in several shooting incidents during the violence and charged with murder. He had been holed up in the mountains with a group of followers for several months.
However he escaped from jail and took refuge in the mountains. A continued stand-off with the government had led to fears of renewed violence.
Mr Ramos-Horta spent 24 years in exile after Indonesian troops invaded East Timor in 1975, leading the country's bid for independence and winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
He served in the more powerful role of prime minister in the wake of the 2006 violence, before elections last year which saw him switch roles with then President Xanana Gusmao.
East Timor gained independence in 2002.
Do you live in East Timor? What's your reaction to this story? Send us your comments by filling out the form below.Do you live in East Timor? What's your reaction to this story? Send us your comments by filling out the form below.
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