DILI, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Taur Matan Ruak, a former guerrilla leader and ex-army chief, was sworn in as Timor-Leste's president early on Sunday to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the country's independence from Indonesia.
Tens of thousands of Timorese flocked to Tasi Tolu, a beachside square in the capital city of Dili where the first president and incumbent Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao declared Timor- Leste's independence on May 20, 2002, after over 400 years of Portuguese colonization and more than two decades of Indonesian occupation.
In the inauguration ceremony shortly after midnight, Taur Matan Ruak took over the presidency from the Nobel laureate Jose Ramos- Horta.
The ceremony was witnessed by several foreign leaders, including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Wang Zhizhen, vice chairwoman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and special representative of President Hu Jintao, also attended the ceremony.
Ruak won over 60 percent of the votes in last month's presidential election run-off, defeating Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres, leader of the opposition Fretilin party after securing support from the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Gusmao.
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