28 April 2008
Port Louis — The leader of a group of East Timor rebels accused of trying to assassinate President Jose Ramos-Horta in February is preparing to surrender and may give himself up early this week, a U.N. spokeswoman said yesterday.
Gastao Salsinha, who took command after rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was killed in the attack on Ramos-Horta, is currently in a house in Ermera district, 75 km west of the capital, with three of his men, said Alison Cooper of the United Nations' mission in East Timor. "There is no deadline for Salsinha, maybe he will surrender to authorities early this week", said Cooper.
East Timor has issued arrest warrants for Salsinha, a former army lieutenant, and 22 others over the February 11 attacks, which also targeted Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. Authorities have previously appeared confident of capturing the rebel leader, only to see him slip away when the army said he had been surrounded.
Alexander Xavier, a presidential adviser, said on Friday that Salsinha had been convinced to surrender after talks with representatives of the army, the Catholic church and parliament.
Ramos-Horta has returned to East Timor after more than two months of treatment in Australia. Gusmao escaped a separate raid unharmed. Reflecting improvements in security, Australia will withdraw 200 troops from East Timor, sent following the February assassination attempt, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said.
Asia's youngest nation, East Timor, has been unable to find stability since a hard-won independence from Indonesia in 2002. The army tore apart along regional lines in 2006, when about 600 soldiers were sacked, triggering factional violence that killed 37 people and drove 150,000 from their homes.
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