East Timor renegade soldier says he will not surrender

AP/Jakarta Post - May 18, 2007

East Timorese renegade soldier Maj. Alfredo Reinado said he would not surrender to authorities hunting him down for his role in deadly violence that brought down the country's government last year, raising the risk of further unrest in Asia's newest nation.

"They do not want me to surrender, they want me dead," Reinado said in his first interview since last week's presidential elections. He spoke on condition that the date of his interview and his whereabouts not be revealed.

"While I am still alive, I am trouble to them."

A spokesman for President Jose Ramos-Horta said the leader may comment later Friday on the remarks. He and other officials have repeatedly called on Reinado to surrender, saying he would not be harmed if he did so.

A former military police commander, Reinado is wanted for bloody fighting that erupted in East Timor last year following months of rising tensions within the country's political and military elite. The violence killed 37 people and led to the collapse of the country's first government since it broke from Indonesian rule in 1999.

The Australian peacekeeping troops who arrived on the island following the violence have been hunting for Reinado. Two months ago, they raided his mountain hide-out after surrounding it for several days, killing four of his followers, but Reinado escaped. His defiance and strident anti-Australian rhetoric has turned him into a symbol of resistance for some young East Timorese. His ability to remain free while also giving regular media interviews has shown the apparent weakness of the tiny nation's central government.

"We are not an Australian colony, what are the Australians doing here?" the 39-year-old said. "Don't think they can turn us into Papua New Guinea and other Pacific countries. Never. We are friends, but we have to respect each other."

He dismissed last week's election that saw Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta replace independence leader Xanana Gusmao as president. Next month, the country will vote for the more powerful position of prime minister.