East Timor's president returns home after recovering from attempted hit
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
President Jose Ramos-Horta returned to his tiny troubled nation early Thursday after recuperating from wounds sustained in an assassination attempt more than two months ago.
Thousands of supporters cheered and clapped as the popular Nobel laureate stepped off the plane, accompanied by bodyguards, aides and his personal doctor. Some waved East Timorese flags and banners that said "Welcome home our beloved president! We love you!"
Ramos-Horta hugged government ministers lining a red carpet on the tarmac and posed for pictures.
The 58-year-old leader was shot twice by rebels in front of his house in the capital, Dili, on Feb. 11. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao escaped unharmed from an ambush on his motorcade the same day.