Dili - The East Timorese independence leader, Mr Jose Ramos-Horta, clasped his hands high above his head in a victorious salute to his birthplace yesterday, as thousands welcomed him home after 24 years in exile. Flanked by the UN leader in East Timor, Mr Sergio Vieira de Mello, Mr Ramos-Horta was ushered off the tarmac of Dili airport by members of the multi national force and civilian police before heading to the centre of the capital, where he was greeted by more than 5,000 supporters.
"The people of East Timor will rebuild this country from ashes of destruction. I did not come today, to arrive here after 24 years with my colleagues . . . to teach a lesson to anyone be cause the true heroes are those who stayed behind, they are the ones who suffered, they are the ones who were tortured . . . they are the ones who were killed," he told the crowd.