By Ahmad Pathoni
DILI (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd madea lightning visit to East Timor's locked-down capital Dili onFriday in a show of strength after a double assassinationattempt on the fledgling nation's leadership.
With President Jose Ramos-Horta recovering from doublegunshot wounds in an Australian hospital, Rudd shook hands withhis East Timor counterpart Xanana Gusmao before meeting seniorUnited Nations and Australian military officials.
"It's actually sending a very loud, clear political messageto all those in East Timor that we stand shoulder to shoulderwith the democratically elected government," Rudd toldAustralian television before leaving.
Security was tight in Dili for Rudd's expected three-hourvisit, with Canberra having sent more than 200 rapid-reactiontroops and police to reinforce local and international securityforces, including 800 Australian troops already on the ground.
Ramos-Horta, 58, was shot at his presidential home onMonday after rebel soldiers led by Alfredo Reinado launched apre-dawn assault. Reinardo was killed in the gunfight, whileGusmao escaped injury in a near-simultaneous attack on hismotorcade.
Rudd was expected to visit Ramos-Horta at Royal DarwinHospital later on Friday ahead of another round of surgery forthe Nobel Peace Prize winner.
East Timor's parliament has imposed a state of emergencyuntil Saturday following the latest unrest in Asia's youngestnation. The country's prosecutor-general issued arrest warrantsfor 24 people suspected of involvement in the attacks.
Rudd, a former diplomat, said he wanted to inspect securityin East Timor for himself to see whether additional military orpolice reinforcements might be needed amid fears that rebelsoldiers might launch more attacks to avenge Reinardo.
"I am ... deeply concerned about the future security andstability of East Timor," Rudd said. "It's pretty murky to behonest. Another reason for going up is to see if I can have aclearer understanding of the facts ... because that shapeswhere it goes to from here," he said.
Reinado was buried on Thursday as United Nations policekept close watch over supporters and mourners for signs ofviolence. Australian special forces soldiers are hunting rebeltroops hiding in the hills outside Dili.
Reinado led a revolt against the government and was chargedwith murder after factional violence in 2006. Later that year,he escaped jail with 50 other inmates, embarrassing securityforces.
East Timor gained full independence from Indonesia in 2002after a U.N.-sponsored vote in 1999 that was marred byviolence. Indonesian invaded the former Portuguese colony in1975. Many thousands of East Timorese died during the brutaloccupation.
(Additional reporting by Tito Belo in Dili and Rob Taylorin Canberra; Writing by Rob Taylor; Editing by David Fogarty)
