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January 14, 2020
Press Release
Government expresses solidarity with Australia
On behalf of the people of Timor-Leste, the Government expresses its deep solidarity with the People and Government of Australia who have faced numerous and violent fires for more than three months.
The flames that have been ploughing almost uninterruptedly since the end of September 2019 across the country have already consumed a vast area of forest, covering millions of hectares, causing at least 25 dead, dozens of missing, isolated populations, thousands of destroyed dwellings, hundreds of thousands of dead animals and various endangered species.
The Government of Timor-Leste offers its most heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and praises the work of the authorities in firefighting and rescue actions, in conditions of extreme difficulty.
The Spokesperson of the Eight Constitutional Government, the Minister of State, Agio Pereira, said that “our feelings go to families who have lost loved ones and we salute those who remain determined in fighting fires and supporting the populations affected by this catastrophe”. ENDS