Word: gusmao
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Fearing prosecution if they return to East Timor, many former militia commanders are pressuring their followers to remain in the west until an amnesty agreement is reached. Some say likely East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao has already promised such a deal. "Xanana told us many times that if he is President we will have amnesty," says Vieira. Jo?o Tavares says an amnesty is vital. "If this is not accepted, then the future will be one of prolonged conflict," he warns...
...truth and reconciliation process. The real culprits of the crimes against East Timor," he adds, "are the Indonesian government and (army) officers who are safe in Jakarta. While they escape justice, are we going to try our own people, the small fish?" Horta believes the new Parliament will heed Gusmao's advice on amnesty and that national consensus is possible...
RESIGNED. XANANA GUSMAO, 54, as President of East Timor's National Council, saying internal squabbling hampered the territory's transition to independence; in Dili. Gusm?o, who for many years led a guerrilla war against Indonesia and was widely tipped to become President, quit the defacto parliament after it refused to consult the people on the proposed new constitution. RESIGNED. RICHARD LEAKEY, 56, conservationist renowned for spearheading the fight against elephant poaching in Africa, as head of Kenya's civil service; in Nairobi. Leakey's appointment by President Daniel arap Moi in 1999 to tackle the country's endemic corruption...
...Gusmao began a career as a journalist and watched with satisfaction as the Portuguese finally retreated from East Timor. But peace was short lived; the following year Indonesian President Suharto ordered his troops to invade. Gusmao joined the resistance, fleeing into the mists of the heavily forested mountains that run the length of the island. By 1981 he was leader of the resistance--and for Indonesia's special forces, the most wanted man in the country. Gusmao eluded capture until 1992. But on a secret trip to Dili, a contact betrayed him, and the rebel leader was arrested...
Like so many charismatic revolutionaries, Gusmao used his imprisonment as a platform. At his trial in Dili, he called for a vote on East Timor's future: "Whoever is afraid of the referendum is afraid of the truth." He quickly became one of the world's most prominent political prisoners, writing poetry and letters to keep the dream of independence alive. In 1997 Mandela visited and called for his release. A year later, Suharto's successor, B.J. Habibie, surprised everyone--particularly his own military--by taking up Gusmao's challenge of a referendum on full independence for East Timor...