Alfredo Reinado

Alfredo Alves Reinado (1967 – February 11, 2008),cite news |title=Ramos-Horta wounded |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/ramoshorta-wounded/2008/02/11/1202578639815.html |publisher="The Sydney Morning Herald" |date=2008-02-11 |accessdate=2008-02-11 ] sometimes spelled Reinhado, was a former major in the military of Timor-Leste, the Timor Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL). He deserted on May 4, 2006 to join approximately 600 former soldiers who had been sacked in March 2006 after complaining of regional discrimination in promotions, sparking the 2006 East Timor crisis. Reinado was one of the leaders of the rebel soldiers, and the highest ranking deserter.

Military career

Reinado was captured by the Indonesian military (TNI) during their invasion of East Timor in 1975, and served as a porter for TNI in Sulawesi and Kalimantan.cite news | last=Dodd | first=Mark | title=Fractured democracy | date=2006-05-25 | publisher=The Australian | url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19246858-31477,00.html ]

He escaped to Australia in 1995 as one of 18 Timorese refugees who fled in a leaky boat and was detained at the Curtin Immigration Detention Centre in Derby, W.A.. He later worked in the shipyards in Western Australia. After the referendum in which East Timor voted for independence, Reinado returned to the country where he entered the military of East Timor (Falintil-FDTL, or simply FDTL) and was appointed commander of the Naval Unit (which consists of two patrol vessels donated by the Portuguese Navy).

:"In July 2004, Alfredo was removed as commander for getting into a fight with the police, and the following year was sent to a three-month naval training course at the Australian Joint Command and Staff College. He reportedly became involved with a junior female Timorese soldier there and was disciplined on return by being removed from the navy and given command of the military police, a distinct downgrading." The already existing break between Alfredo and his commanding officers worsened, so that there may well have been personal factors that drove him to desert in early May 2006, in addition to outrage over F-FDTL actions. [Resolving Timor-Leste's Crisis, Asia Report No.120, 10 October 2006, International Crisis Group, p.10, and 'Looking back in anger at a life less ordinary', The Age (Australia), 31 May 2006]

However, due to his acerbic style, he was eventually transferred to the Army headquarters in the capital Dili by Brigadier-General Taur Matan Ruak, the commander of the FDTL.

Reinado's father and sister live in Australia. Over several years, Reinado travelled to Australia to receive military training from the Australian Defence Force, studying defence management in October 2003 and emergency management in August 2004. In 2005 he completed a three-month navy training module at the Australian Command and Staff College in Canberra.cite news | last=Banham | first=Cynthia | title=Army's cause without a rebel | date=2006-05-27 | publisher=Sydney Morning Herald | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/armys-cause-without-a-rebel/2006/05/26/1148524886073.html ] Reinado has also received training from the Portuguese military and the Brazilian military.cite news | last=Toohey | first=Paul | title=East Timor rebel leader speaks out | date=2006-05-23 | publisher=The Bulletin | url=http://www.search.org.au/news/East%20Timor%20rebel%20Reinado%20speaks%20out,%20May%2023.htm ] He was eventually assigned to the military police, where he was in charge of a platoon of 33 troops.

Rebellion

On May 4 Reinado and 20 members of his platoon, along with four riot police, deserted their barracks and joined the rebel soldiers in the hills, taking with them two trucks full of weapons and ammunition. [ cite news | title=Aust to send troops to E Timor | date=2006-05-24 | publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1646781.htm ]

In an interview, Reinado said that he was motivated to leave his barracks and join the rebels following an incident on April 28 in which FDTL forces fired upon a crowd of rebel soldiers and unemployed youths demonstrating in the streets of Dili. He asserted that the Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri had given the order to fire into the crowd, because in his role as a military policeman he had escorted Colonel Lere Anan Timor, the chief of staff to FDTL commander Brigadier-General Ruak, to a meeting with Alkatiri, and had heard Lere say immediately after the meeting that "I already have orders to take action." Reinado also called for a full investigation into the events of April 28, saying that Alkatiri's orders were "an unjustified act under the constitution".

He was detained by Portuguese and Australian soldiers in Dili on July 26 on charges of illegally possessing weapons. Angered by his arrest he refused to sign court papers. He was later charged with murder.

Escape from prison

On August 30, 2006, Reinado escaped from Dili's main jail with more than 50 other prisoners. Prison warden Carlos Sarmento said at least 57 inmates fled after breaking down several walls on the east wing. The breakout occurred within the New Zealand Defence Force area of operations and came just a week after the UN was given approval to replace the Australian-led mission responsible for keeping law and order.

The escape was by coincidence on the anniversary of the 1999 vote for independence from Indonesia in a referendum.

The escape created a new crisis for international security forces in East Timor, which were struggling to curb gang violence. Prime Minister José Ramos-Horta, said after visiting the jail two weeks earlier that security there should be improved.

Paulo Remedios, Major Reinado's lawyer, said that Major Reinado had been worried for some time about the lack of security at the jail.

"Threats have been made against Alfredo and he was taking them seriously," Mr Remedios said. "He told me of a plan to snatch him from the jail and to take him out of Dili on a boat — that was the rumour that my client heard."

A senior foreign security analyst based in East Timor said Major Reinado, former chief of the country's military police, "could easily disappear into the mountains" if not caught quickly. "And the problem is, there are still plenty of guns unaccounted for up in the mountains," he said.

Whilst on the run from authorities, Reinado made an appearance on Indonesia's Metro TV talk show "Kick Andy". On the program, Reinado made open statements about his escape and his aims. Nobody but host Kick Andy and his crew knew the location of the interview.

Manhunt

Australian soldiers (including SAS troopers and 4 RAR commandos – part of the Australian-led intervention force sent into the country in May) and Australian Federal Police officers were involved in a massive manhunt for the escapees.

On March 1, 2007, Alfredo Reinado was quoted as saying that "Australian special troops" were 500-800 metres away from his hideout and he would "fight to the end" against Australian troops surrounding him, according to Al Jazeera. Reinado and his men were involved in a stand-off near the village of Same, 50km (30 miles) south of the capital Dili, in East Timor's central highlands which stemmed from an incident involving the accused theft of automatic weapons by Reinado from a police post. Reinado criticized the government, stating that, "If any political leader wants to harm the stability of this nation, I have a right to stand up and defend the people." Police forces who have commented on the situation are demanding that Reinado give up his weapons in the name of keeping safe the people of Timor.cite news |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/DDF51A99-4F2F-4C99-BEEC-BCAC745134DD.htm |title=Timor rebel vows fight to the end |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=2007-03-01 |accessdate=2007-03-01]

In mid-April 2007, Prime Minister José Ramos-Horta said that the search for Reinado was being called off to facilitate dialogue. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1899865.htm "East Timor PM calls off hunt for rebel leader"] , AFP (abc.net.au), April 18, 2007.] Reinado met with Ramos-Horta, who was by this time President, in August 2007, and they backed the initiation of a dialogue that would seek a peaceful resolution. [ [http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/23/2012606.htm?section=world "E Timor President meets fugitive military rebel"] , AFP (abc.net.au), August 23, 2007.]

Death

On February 11, 2008, East Timorese army spokesman Major Domingos da Câmara said that Reinado had been killed during coordinated attacks on Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão and President Ramos-Horta. Reinado's funeral, attended by hundreds of people, was held peacefully on February 14 in Dili. [Donald Greenlees, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/world/asia/15timor.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=login "Hundreds Mourn at Burial of East Timor Rebel"] , "The New York Times", February 15, 2008.] Alfredo Reinado's role as rebel leader was succeeded by Lieutenant Gastão Salsinha [Lauren Wilson, [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23315142-2703,00.html Ramos Horta Forgives Reinado] "The Australian", March 4 2008] .

An autopsy report said that Reinado had been shot at "very close range" in the back of the head, leading to speculation that he had been executed instead of shot in defense. [Simon Roughneen, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JI04Ae02.html "Who Shot J R Horta?"] , Asia Times Online, September 4, 2008.] [Lindsay Murdoch, [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/dili-investigator-called-to-canberra-as-evidence-of-executionmounts/2008/09/03/1220121329582.html Dili investigator called to Canberra as evidence of execution mounts] , The Sydney Morning Herald, September 4, 2008.]

ee also

*2006 East Timor crisis
*Operation Astute

References