DILI, East Timor, June 22, (V7N) — East Timor has announced a week of national mourning for former president Francisco “Lu-Olo” Guterres, who died over the weekend in a Malaysian hospital at age 71.
The government said Monday that flags will be flown at half-mast at public buildings, embassies, and consulates. Guterres, a former guerrilla leader, served as president from 2017 to 2022 after decades in the political and armed struggle for East Timor’s independence.
His body is expected to arrive in Dili on Tuesday, his brother Domingos Guterres told reporters. Funeral plans are still being finalized.
President Jose Ramos-Horta, who defeated Guterres in the 2022 presidential runoff, called him a “great patriot” and said his death was “a great loss for the nation.” The government extended its “deepest condolences” to Guterres’s family, his former party Fretilin, and the people of East Timor.
Guterres’s family requested privacy. “We ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time, as we join in prayer and pay tribute to his memory, his legacy, and his dedication to the Timorese people,” they said.
Born into humble circumstances, Guterres fought for independence from Indonesia, which East Timor achieved in 2002 after a 24-year occupation. He won the presidency in 2017 with more than 57% of the vote and sought reelection in 2022, losing to Nobel laureate Ramos-Horta.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was “saddened” by Guterres’s death and offered condolences to his family and the Timorese people. “Malaysia mourns his passing alongside the Timorese people. He will be remembered here with respect and affection,” Anwar said..
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