In
May 2002, after 450 years of continuous foreign
occupation, Timor-Leste became the world's newest
independent state. The island of Timor lies towards
the eastern end of the chain of Indonesian islands
running from Malaya, through Sumatra and Java,
to new Guinea.
José
Manuel Ramos (born 26 December 1949) is the second President
of East Timor since independence from Indonesia, taking
office on 20 May 2007. He is a co-recipient of the 1996
Nobel Peace Prize and a former Prime Minister, having
served from 2006 until his inauguration as President after
winning the 2007 East Timorese presidential election.[1]
As a founder and former member of the Revolutionary Front
for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN)
Government of
the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste