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Home / Awards / Path to Peace Award / 2003 THE PATH TO PEACE AWARD RECIPIENTS 2003 - His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão 
Mr. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão , was born on June 20, 1946 in Laleia, Manatuto, East Timor, and grew up in that country together with his parents, his brother and five sisters. He completed primary school and then attended secondary school at the Catholic Mission of "Nossa Senhora de Fátima" in Dare. He joined the staff of "A Voz de Timor" and later became member of FRETILIN - the revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor. On December 7, 1975, when Indonesian forces occupied East Timor, Mr. Xanana Gusmão found himself in charge of the reorganization of the Resistance. Under his command, in March 1983, the FRETILIN initiated the first preliminary talks with the occupying armed forces in the liberated areas of the territory, which resulted in a cease-fire until August 1983. Mr. Xanana Gusmão envisioned and implemented the Policy of National Unity which translated into developing a clandestine network in urban areas and other occupied zones. In 1988, the success of the initiative for National Unity enabled him to create the CNRM—the National Council of Maubere Resistance—and the CNRT—the National Council of Timorese Resistance. Later, on November 20, 1992, Mr. Xanana Gusmão was captured by the Indonesian armed forces, and, at the conclusion of a trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Jakarta. This sentence was later commuted to 20 years. While in prison, he painted and wrote poetry, cultivating a talent already recognized in 1975, when he won the Timor Poetry Prize with his poem "Mauberíadas". Some of his paintings have been sold and the money from the sales donated to the Resistance, at his request. In 1984, some his political essays were published in a book, Timor-Leste - Um Povo, uma Patria. The rapid development of the East Timorese political process in the past several years, and the international recognition of Mr. Xanana Gusmão's statesmanship and leadership, prompted numerous visits to his prison-house by foreign government representatives, including former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer and Japanese Foreign Minister, Masahiko Komura. The UN-sponsored referendum on 30 August 1999, which overwhelmingly rejected the autonomy proposal put forth by Indonesia, marked the beginning of the transitional process led by the UN in East Timor. Mr. Xanana Gusmão was released from house arrest on 7 September 1999. On 14 April 2002, he was elected President of Timor-Leste and was sworn in as the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on 20 May 2002. It is in recognition of his outstanding and tireless efforts on behalf of the cause of peace that the Path to Peace Foundation honors His Excellency Mr. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão with the 2003 Path to Peace Award.
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