The head of East Timor's armed forces, Major General Taur Matan Ruak, said Friday he had resigned, ahead of a possible run for the presidency in elections next year. The veteran of East Timor's resistance struggle against Indonesia's occupation said that after three decades in the military he wanted to return to civilian life. "Yesterday I handed my resignation letter to the president (Jose Ramos-Horta) and his excellency the prime minister (Xanana Gusmao)," Ruak told reporters in Dili.
"Because I have already served the armed forces for 36 years I think I want to go back to civilian life." As for his presidential aspirations, Ruak said he would wait until next year to announce whether he would contest the March 2012 polls. "I want to serve those who suffered for this nation," Ruak said. Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres said the government had accepted Ruak's resignation during a cabinet meeting on Friday in Dili, but it still needed to be approved by Ramos-Horta.
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