Critically wounded E.Timor President arrives in Australia

AUSTRALIA - Critically wounded East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta on Monday arrived in Australia for emergency treatment following an assassination attempt, an AFP correspondent saw.

Ramos-Horta was evacuated from a military hospital in the East Timor capital Dili to the northern Australian city of Darwin after being shot in the stomach by rebels in Dili early Monday.

The ailing head of state was flown in on an aircraft of the Careflight rescue service and then transferred by ambulance to Royal Darwin Hospital, where he was expected to be immediately rushed to the operating theatre.

"He is still critical but in a stable condition," CareFlight spokesman Peter Murphy told the Australian Associated Press while Ramos-Horta was in the air.

Ramos-Horta had earlier undergone initial surgery in Dili, but Australian doctors want to reassess his injuries.

"There will be further exploration of his wounds to ascertain the full extent of those wounds," added the hospital's general manager, Doctor Len Notaras. Earlier Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Ramos-Horta was in a "very serious but stable condition."

Darwin, Monday, AFP