A white Falcon GL is one of the silent witnesses of the hundreds gathered at the funeral of Alfredo Reinado, 41, shot dead during a failed assassination attempt on Timor Leste's President Jose Ramos-Horta on Monday.

The car sits in the front yard of Reinado's house, a 300-square-meter plot in Dili's Markone district where the funeral is taking place. He loved the car, said one of the mourners who described himself as a friend.

The military deserter and declared enemy of Timor Leste also loved his country, according to many gathered there.

Some 500 people attended the ceremony for Reinado and his soldier Leo Poldino, comprising of a Catholic requiem mass and traditional funeral process which took more than three hours and was attended by priests and nuns representing various congregations.

Someone had conspicuously written on a wall clearly visible from the house the name of the former officer who deserted the Timor Leste military in 2006 and afterwards became the leader of a sizable group of other deserters. "Revolutionary", "People's Fighter" appears there in capital letters.

The writing appeared two years ago and has remained, said Mahmud, a 40-year-old Muslim man who said he was a friend of Reinado.

"We grew up together in this neighborhood. He moved in to his house after getting married. That was when he bought the white car -- new. It was his favorite."

Reinado deserted FDTL -- the military of East Timor -- in May 2006 to join some 600 former soldiers who had been expelled in March that year after complaining of regional discrimination in promotions.

The number and diversity of the mourners suggest that the rebel killed in the failed assassination was considered a leader by others as well.

Reinado was really fighting for a better Timor, even though he was considered by the government a dangerous rebel, said one mourner.

Representing a substantial portion of the tiny country's armed forces, the ensuring security crisis in 2006 brought the newborn nation to a standstill. Reinado, the highest ranking deserter, was regarded as the leader of the rebel soldiers.

Those who gathered in the front yard Thursday were mostly women. They arrived via a muddy path leading to the house of Victor Alvez, father of the deceased. Bearing flowers and candles, their litanies in Tetum and Portuguese mingled with hysterical cries. The mourners were believed to include Reinado supporters from a broad cross-section of the communities in which he was known.

The nuns in attendance represented various congregations. "We are here because he was one of us, a Timorese," said a nun.

While four priests participated in the requiem, Dili's Archbishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva and Reinado's mother, were not among the mourners.

Mahmud said Reinado had supporters in at least 10 districts of Timor and perhaps as many as 13.

Mary, 32, a teacher of a public school, said she was a friend of both Reinado and Poldino.

"I came here to express my sympathy. I met them two years ago and have since admired Reinado for his commitment for the nation."

With many curious onlookers as well as local and international media, not everyone gathered in the yard was a supporter.

Meanwhile, security in Dili has reportedly been tightened. Reinado's father called for an end to bloodshed in Timor Leste. "My son is already dead and I would like to ask Alfredo's supporters to remain calm. We will not resolve the problem with blood."

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