East Timor army chief shows soft side amid mayhem

DILI - In the complex and convoluted world of East Timor, Tuar Matan Ruak, the commander-in-chief of what remains of the fragmented Army, has emerged as a man every bit as contradictory as his divided nation.

New Zealand defence attache Colonel John McLeod has held talks with the general at Hera, the navy base east of Dili, one of three bases the Army has confined itself to as part of the agreement under which Australian-led forces are trying to restore stability.

New Zealand officials have also talked with President Xanana Gusmao, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, Foreign and Defence Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, and the police commander, Paul Fatima Martins.

The talks are part of Wellington's efforts to maintain relations with the major players in the crisis that has overtaken East Timor in the past two weeks.

General Ruak has welcomed New Zealand's participation in the coalition force, but his own future remains uncertain as violence continues and the political leadership struggles to find a workable compromise within its own ranks.

Apart from any re-shaping of the Army when the nation starts to rebuild, General Ruak faces responsibility as commander-in-chief for his soldiers' role in the conflict, including the slaughter of nine unarmed policemen surrendering under United Nations protection.

At present, General Ruak has a nominal command of about 700 men, but estimates remain uncertain following the fragmentation of the Army and the recent violence.

Almost 600 rebel soldiers, led by military police leader Major Alfredo Reinado, have withdrawn to bases in the hills behind Dili and continue to insist on the resignation of Mr Alkatiri as a condition for a return to peace.

The men were sacked following a dispute over claims of discrimination.

But General Ruak has not escaped the personal trauma that has overwhelmed tens of thousands of his countrymen.

He narrowly escaped assassination, his two tiny children were forced into a refugee compound, and his family have fled to Australia to ensure their safety.

On the Thursday night before Australians began arriving in strength, and with battles raging around the city, General Ruak received Colonel McLeod and Australian military and diplomatic officials to discuss the terms of foreign intervention.

"He looked like a man who had survived three assassination attempts," Colonel McLeod said. "He was pretty haggard, drawn and very focused."

But when he saw the colonel he put his arms around him, talked about his family - "incredibly warm for that bit of it" - and then returned to professional soldier.

Now behind the walls of the Hera defence base, home to East Timor's navy of two Portuguese-supplied patrol boats, General Ruak is more relaxed in a part of the country where life is almost normal.

Again, he has greeted Colonel McLeod warmly, received messages from wellwishers with thanks, and asked that his own gratitude be passed on to New Zealanders Wing Commander Craig Basher and Lieutenant Commander Wayne Burtton, who rescued two of his injured soldiers when fighting first broke out.

In New Zealand at the beginning of May, the general had charmed onlookers by striding down from the dais at a welcoming ceremony to embrace the sword-bearing commander, who he recognised from service in East Timor.

At the Tamaki Brothers' Maori village at Rotorua, the general - anonymous in civilian clothing - was picked as a chief because, Colonel McLeod was told, they could feel something radiating from his body that marked him out.

But back in Timor, General Ruak's staff includes two officers who, during the long and often faction-ridden guerrilla war, had been involved in the planning of two ambushes to kill the man who now commands them.

"He's such a charismatic person and such an engaging person that it's easy to get caught up in the personality of the man," Colonel McLeod said.

"But as he has said himself, there are no saints in this country.

"In the past he has shown he is a great believer in the constitution - he refused to allow the F-FDTL [Army] to become involved in the church riots of 2000 because he said it was a police matter - and he's passionate about his country."