Uniting International Mission’s Executive Secretary for Asia, Reverend John Barr says that missionaries in East Timor are safe despite recent turmoil.

The news comes after President Jose Ramos-Horta was shot and critically wounded at his home in Dili on Monday February in an assassination attempt by rebel soldiers.
 
“Our mission workers, the Schreiber family, are safe,” Rev Barr said.

The Schreiber family were not aware of the shooting when Rev Barr phoned them at 7.30am local time. They told him they could hear sirens in the distance but everything seemed relatively normal.

“At this stage the Australian Government is not calling for evacuations of Australian citizens and it’s not likely to in the immediate future. International Peace Keepers have matters under control…Westerners are rarely if ever targeted in East Timor.”
 
Rev Barr said he was “confident” things will eventually settle in East Timor – however the situation will remain tense for now.

Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was killed while trying to assassinate Horta. Reonado will be buried on Thursday in his home town of Maubisse. Some fear an outbreak of grief as his supporters gather, although international forces are on alert.

Reinado believed that many of East Timor's key insititutions, including the military, are now dominated by people from the eastern region of the country. Reinado believed there is an "eastern" bias in the way the country was bering led. This represents competing interests in the country concerning power and influence in naitonal politics.

Reinado has widespread support in the comunity where there are signifricant numbers of "westerners" however this support may now be decreasing after Reinado's attempt to kill the East Timor President.

It is thought that Ramos Horta was trying hard to neogtiate a peaceful resolutuon with Reinado and his faction. However the violence on Monday has undermined that process.

Rev Barr warned that the Uniting Church’s partner church, the Protestant Church in Timor Lorosa’e, would be under some stress in the coming months.

"Our partner church..seeks to maintain unity across the country. However, like the community it serves, there are tensions within the church and the Moderator, Rev Franciscio de Vaconcelos, is faced with major challenges," Rev Barr said.

Rev Barr called on Australians to "hope and pray that Jose Ramos Horta survives and makes a full recovery."

“He and the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, could not be easily replaced.”