Situation in East Timor “under control” following attacks on leaders

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 (KUNA) — The situation in East Timor is “under control” following two attacks on the country’s president and the premier earlier Monday, said Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who escaped the attack.
In a press conference, the premier said, “Even though the state has been attacked by an armed group and the president was wounded, the state is in control of stability … The current situation is proceeding normally and is under control.” Earlier today, gunmen wounded President and Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and opened fire on a car carrying the prime minister, in apparently coordinated attacks against the leadership of East Timor.
The president was wounded in the stomach and was flown to Australia, where he was reportedly placed on a ventilator but his condition was stable, while the premier escaped unharmed.
East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, gained independence from two decades of Indonesian occupation in 2002, following a UN-sponsored vote. Ramos-Horta and Gusmao led the fight against Indonesia.