EAST TIMOR: A day before Australian-led international troops raided his East Timor rebel stronghold, killing four, fugitive leader Alfredo Reinado held a rare news conference

Fugitive East Timor rebel leader Alfredo Reinado spoke to journalists in a rare news conference on Friday (March 2), a day before escaping an Australian-led international raid on his stronghold that left four of his men dead. Reinado has been on the run since he escaped from jail in East Timor's capital Dili in August along with 50 other inmates. President Xanana Gusmao ordered security forces to arrest him following accusations the rebel led a raid on a police post and made off with 25 automatic weapons last month. On Friday, Reinado denied attacking the police post, saying that police had given him the weapons. "We only ask them nicely and they give me because they know we use for defending the people and it also belong to the people themselves, so they give me nicely and peacefully with nice shake hand and you call it assault, very funny isn't it?" he said at his secret jungle hide-out. He accused Gusmao of not investigating the facts relating to the incident. "I feel sorry for the president as a president Mr. Xanana says that without study the reality on the ground first. I am just taking the weapon and not killing anyone become rebel for this nation but those people dies every day doesn't mean anything? That mean this weapon is more than many other people dies," he added. Reinado was also critical of Prime Minister Ramos Horta, a Nobel Peace laureate who is a candidate for presidency of the strife-torn country. Polls are scheduled for April. "I also think that Mr. Ramos Horta being nominated as next candidate for solve the crisis but he forgot the crisis and created more chaos in the nation, and he gives more interest in next election rather then the nation. So where the interest and the value of the people life," he said. The standoff between Reinado and the troops has raised fears of violence ahead of a presidential election next month. East Timor voted in a 1999 referendum for independence from Indonesia, which annexed it after Portugal ended its colonial rule in 1975. The country became fully independent in 2002 after a period of UN administration. But an east-west divie in the impoverished nation erupted into chaos and gang violence in May following the sacking of 600 soldiers. High youth unemployment also plagues the country, where more than 100,000 people are displaced. Australia has 800 troops to keep peace in East Timor following last year's violence.

ITN Source | March 4, 2007

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