Doug PollardEast Timor's President thanks Darwin Hospital for saving his life
Jose Ramos-Horta thanking the staff at Royal Darwin Hospital (ABC TV)
East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta today thanked all the staff at the Royal Darwin Hospital for saving his life after he was the victim of an assassination attempt in Dili.
Jose Ramos-Horta spent 40 minutes with the staff, giving gifts such as East Timorese coffee and a signed photograph of himself with Pope Benedict.
"I arrive here in your hands and I thank all of you.
"I have to say that Timor coffee has found to have a strong Viagra content."
He says his medical treatment has been top class from the moment he arrived.
"I'm very, very happy, particularly very grateful to the Darwin hospital, to the nurses, to the doctors, to the cleaners," he said.
"I was very, very well looked after here from the moment I arrived. I thank also the Australian Defence Force medical centre in Dili."
"I have to say that Timor coffee has found to have a strong Viagra content."
He says his medical treatment has been top class from the moment he arrived.
"I'm very, very happy, particularly very grateful to the Darwin hospital, to the nurses, to the doctors, to the cleaners," he said.
"I was very, very well looked after here from the moment I arrived. I thank also the Australian Defence Force medical centre in Dili."
He also talked about the pain he went through during and after the shooting.
"On the way to the heliport, I almost fell off the chair few times because there was no belt and I remember even though I was bleeding I was holding tight. And I was telling the driver to go slow but maybe he was wise not to go slow because it was a matter of minutes for me to arrive there."
The President will now stay in a private Darwin house for further recovery, with plans to head back to East Timor in approximately three weeks.
Sources:
Story - ABC
Picture - ABC TV
