Tearful leader thanks hospital -Timor
John Stapleton; 20/3/08
Fighting back tears, East Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta yesterday gave his first chilling recollections of the moment he was shot, and bade farewell to the Darwin hospital staff who treated him. The Nobel Peace laureate was discharged yesterday from hospital after multiple surgeries and five weeks of treatment following the February 11 shooting. Rebel troops shot Mr Ramos Horta outside his home and on the same day ambushed Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who escaped unharmed. During an emotional reunion with Royal Darwin Hospital staff, a thin and pale Mr Ramos Horta thanked those who cared for him and recounted the attack for the first time in public. He recalled bleeding heavily and being fully conscious after the shooting as he was taken in “a very old battered ambulance” to an Australian field hospital in Dili.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23406061-5013404,00.html