New Delhi, June 24: India expressed deep sorrow on Wednesday over the passing of Francisco Guterres ‘Lu-Olo’, the former president of East Timor (Timor-Leste). The Ministry of External Affairs stated that Guterres will be remembered for his contributions to strengthening the ties between the two nations.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal took to social media platform X to share that Secretary for East Affairs Rudraendra Tandon visited the East Timorese embassy in New Delhi to sign the condolence book. He conveyed the Indian government’s sympathies to the family, government, and people of the late president. “Dr. Francisco Guterres ‘Lu-Olo’ will always be remembered for promoting friendly relations between India and Timor-Leste,” he noted.
Guterres ‘Lu-Olo’ (71) passed away on Sunday in a hospital in Malaysia, where he was receiving treatment. This information was reported by the Timor-Leste news agency Tatoli. His family described the loss as a “deep sorrow” for his wife, children, the Fretilin political party, freedom fighters, and all those who contributed to nation-building.
Guterres became involved in the national liberation movement in 1974 and played an active role in responding to the Indonesian occupation. In 1998, he became the leader of the political party that emerged from the Fretilin armed struggle.
Fretilin was founded in 1974 and declared East Timor’s unilateral independence from Portugal on November 28, 1975. Shortly after this declaration, Indonesia launched an attack on East Timor. Fretilin then waged a long and bloody armed struggle against the Indonesian occupation, with its armed wing known as ‘Falintil’.
Following the independence referendum in Timor-Leste, Guterres was elected as the president of the constitutional assembly in 2021. Serving as the Speaker of the National Parliament, he declared the restoration of Timor-Leste’s independence in 2022. He held the position of Speaker from 2002 to 2007 and served as the country’s president from 2017 to 2022.
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