SYDNEY, Feb 21: East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta has regained consciousness and spoken to family members after being in an induced coma since he was shot 10 days ago, his spokesman said on Thursday.

“Doctors at Royal Darwin Hospital have reported that President Jose Ramos-Horta continued his steady recovery today and is slowly waking up,” spokesman Luke Gosling said in a statement.

“The president has said a few words to family and is resting.” The Nobel peace laureate was airlifted to the hospital in northern Australia after being shot by rebel soldiers outside his home in Dili on Feb 11.

Hospital general manager Dr Len Notaras said the president was aware that he had been shot but was probably unsure about details of the attack after being unconscious for so long.

“He certainly knows he was shot and that it was a very traumatic event. As to who did it and the rest of it, I’m not too sure about that and I would say that given the trauma there’s probably a degree of confusion,” he said.

The president had responded well to five operations to repair the damage caused by bullet wounds to the back and chest, Notaras said.

“His condition now, while it is still serious, is stable and it is a very satisfactory prognosis in the sense that without complications we expect him to continue on a smooth course to recovery.” Notaras said he expected Ramos-Horta to remain in intensive care for perhaps another week before the leader was in good enough condition.—AFP