DILI, 26 June 2026 (TATOLI) — Thousands of Timorese, including national and political leaders, government officials, members of parliament, diplomats, students, public servants and ordinary citizens, joined the funeral procession on Friday to pay their final respects to former President Francisco Guterres “Lú Olo”, who died on June 21.
Ahead of the funeral on Friday afternoon, mourners gathered at several locations across Dili as the coffin was taken through the capital as part of the official funeral program. The procession stopped at the headquarters of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor-Leste (FRETILIN), the General Headquarters of Timor-Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL), the Presidential Palace, Dili Cathedral, and the National Parliament.
At each stop, members of the public paid tribute to the former head of state, reflecting widespread national recognition of his contributions to Timor-Leste’s struggle for independence and the development of its democratic institutions.
At FRETILIN headquarters, party members and supporters joined former Prime Minister and current party secretary-general Mari Alkatiri in paying their final respects to “Lú Olo”, the party’s former president, recognizing his more than two decades of leadership and his contribution to the country’s democratic development.
At F-FDTL headquarters, members of the armed forces joined Falur Rate Laek, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, in paying their final respects to the former head of state, remembering “Lú Olo” as one of the greatest FALINTIL commanders who played a key role in Timor-Leste’s struggle for independence.
At the Presidential Palace, hundreds of Presidential Office staff, students from several schools and residents from nearby communities joined President José Ramos-Horta in paying their final respects to the former president.
Ramos-Horta descended the palace’s main staircase and approached the hearse, where he rendered a final salute to “Lú Olo”. He then led a minute of silence in honor of the former president, paying tribute to his role in the independence struggle and his contribution to building Timor-Leste’s democratic state.
A requiem Mass was celebrated at the cathedral before the funeral procession continued to the National Parliament, where members of parliament paid their final respects to the former president.
At the National Parliament, leaders of parliamentary benches paid their final respects to “Lú Olo”, remembering his role as the first president of the Constituent Assembly in drafting the national constitution and his early leadership of the National Parliament, where he played a key role in its development.
Following the stop at the National Parliament, the funeral procession continued to Metinaro, with thousands of Timorese joining the final journey to the Garden of Heroes and Martyrs of the Homeland, where former President Francisco Guterres “Lú Olo” would be laid to rest.
TATOLI
