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.
"An immediate response to Timor Leste (East Timor) duringthis time of insecurity is a sign that our neighbour has agreat faith in democracy and that the protection of ourdemocracy is central to establishing a climate of peace andsecurity," Gusmao told a press conference after meeting withRudd.
"Our nation is a proud nation. We are ready to progressfrom volatility to stability, and from fear to confidence. Manypeople ask is this achievable in light of this week's events?Yes, it is achievable, because a bullet can wound a presidentbut it never can penetrate the values of democracy," Gusmaoadded.
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.
"The purpose of my visit today is to state in clear andloud terms that Australia will stand shoulder to shoulder intothe future in the defence of East Timor's democratic system ofgovernment," Rudd said at the joint press conference.
He said Australian troops would stay for as long as EastTimor's government wanted them to be there. The two leadersalso discussed further economic co-operation in areas such asinfrastructure development, youth employment and ruraldevelopment.
STREETS CALM
In Dili, the streets were calm and shops, offices and bankswere open. Fears of violence in the wake of the doubleassassination attempt have so far proved unfounded.
"I only hope there will be no more unrest and rebellion.Because of the rebellion, the government imposed the state ofemergency and we can't do anything at night. We just stay athome. It is not good for us young people," said Adriano daCosta, a shopkeeper in central Dili.
Ramos-Horta, 58, was shot at his home on Monday after rebelsoldiers led by Alfredo Reinado launched a pre-dawn assault.Reinado was killed in the gunfight, while Gusmao escaped injuryin a near-simultaneous attack on his motorcade.
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 emergencyfollowing the latest unrest in Asia's youngest nation. Thecountry's prosecutor-general issued arrest warrants for 24people suspected of involvement in the attacks.
Rudd, a former diplomat, said he wanted to inspect securityin East Timor for himself.
"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 Sara Webb)
