Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd pledged on Tuesday to stand in solidarity with Timor-Leste which is in a crisis after the attempted assassination of its president and prime minister.
"I'm sure I speak for all honorable members, and for the parliament, when we pass on behalf of this parliament and this country our sense of shock and solidarity for our friends in Dili after this appalling attack on their democracy," he said in the parliament.
"(We) affirm to the parliament and on behalf of the government our resolve to stand by the democratically elected government of East Timor at this time of great duress and challenge."
Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta was shot and wounded Monday morning by the rebels at his home and later transferred to Australia's northern city of Darwen for medical treatment. He remains in an induced coma in the Royal Darwin Hospital.
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao was unhurt in a separate attack soon after the gunfight at Ramos-Horta's home.
Timor-Leste Acting President Vicente Gutterres announced a state of emergency Tuesday in an address on national television.
"All of us in this parliament who have observed the throes of the emergence of this new democracy since the independence ballot some years ago know how volatile things can become," Rudd said.
"It will, therefore, require our continued efforts and attention to respond to security developments as they unfold," he added.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith flew to Darwin Tuesday morning to meet his Timorese counterpart Zacharias da Costa, reinforcing Australia's support for Timor-Leste following the attacks.
Meanwhile, the 120 soldiers and 70 federal police sent to help with security began arriving in Dili Tuesday afternoon.
Source: Xinhua
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