Media Releases
27 of September of 2019Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of September 27, 2019Analyzedmore
1 - Government Resolution on the authorisation to open public tenders for the conclusion of petroleum contracts;
2 - Outbreak of African Swine Fever.
Approved
1 - Government Decree which regulates the procedure concerning the allocation of areas of the territory of Timor-Leste to research and oil production activities.
27 of September of 2019African Swine Fever in Timor-LestePresidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
September 27, 2019
African Swine Fever in Timor-Leste
Since the beginning of September 2019, there were registered a number of cases of infection and deaths of pigs in Timor-Leste, caused by African swine fever. Many of these cases have been reported by the owners of the pigs in Díli. To identify the disease, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAP) collected samples of affected pigs and sent them to a laboratory in Australia for testing.
The results of the laboratory tests conducted in Australia confirmed that African swine fever (ASF) has already entered Timor-Leste and that 41% of the samples were contaminated with the disease.
Up until September 19, 2019, in Dili, the MAP recorded nearly 400 cases of pigs who died and another 400 that are contaminated with the disease.
Historically, Timor-Leste has been free of African Swine fever. In order to guarantee this, Decree-Law No. 21/2003 on the quarantine regime, and specifically in its article 56, defines that the importation of pigs and products derived from countries affected by African swine fever is prohibited.
When the disease began to spread in the Asian region, the MAP organized a seminar on the disease on June 13, 2019, as a preventive measure. The aim of this seminar was to hold a technical discussion between the MAP and other directly relevant public services, such as customs, AIFAESA, PNTL, UNTL, or SERVE, to study the possibilities of biosecurity reinforcement and control in Timor-Leste, regarding this animal disease.
African swine fever is a viral disease of African origin. Although it has already been a known disease for many years, so far no treatment or vaccine has been found to prevent or treat the disease. At this time there is an outbreak of African swine fever in the Asian region. Until September 2019, the Asian countries in which there is already confirmation of the outbreak are China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, North Korea and Mongolia ( FAO data, 2019).
In Timor-Leste, African swine fever puts at risk about 400.000 pigs with more than 70% of Timorese families dependent on the raising of pigs for their livelihoods.
Regarding public health issues, the MAP clarifies that African swine fever is not a zoonotic disease, i.e. te disease does not pose a risk to humans.
The immediate action that is currently underway is a suspension of the movement of pigs between Dili and the other municipalities. The services of the control posts for the transport of animals were reinforced and, with cooperation of the security authorities, measures were implemented to restrict the movement of animals, namely pigs, between Dili and the other municipalities.
The MAP is in close cooperation with the Government of Australia, to take measures such as testing the samples, in order to have definitive confirmation of contamination with African swine fever .
The MAP is also, in conjunction with the World Organization of Animal Health, also known by the acronym OIE, producing information materials to explain the disease and the precautions to take. ENDS
26 of September of 2019Vote of Condolences for the Death of Father João de Deus PiresPresidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
September 25, 2019
Vote of Condolences for the Death of Father João de Deus Pires
It is with enormous consternation and great regret that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste received the news of the death of Father João de Deus Pires, a Salesian missionary, on September 22 of 2019, at the Guido Valadares National Hospital in Dili.
Born in Morais, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Portugal, he was ordained a priest in 1956, and was sent to Timor-Leste in 1957.
From 1957 to the present day, he remained here, where he developed an intense and very varied educational and missionary activity, overcoming difficulties of all kinds and supporting great setbacks during the period of Indonesian occupation.
His role will be remembered in the history of Timor-Leste, during the Indonesian occupation, at a time when the support bases fell, Father João de Deus dedicated all his efforts to providing care to the population that was captured and surrendered, and was facing, in the years of 1979 and 1980, the most precarious situations of hunger and disease.
After the reorganization of the fight in March 1981, where the new "national unity" policy was able to shake the consciences and clarify the new nationalist concepts and ideals, Father João de Deus did all he could, including even facing threats on the part of the occupant, to maintain a close link between the mountains (the top leadership of the Struggle) and Dili, through which it was possible to send correspondence to the outside world.
Father João de Deus was exemplary in the treatment he gave to the couriers, at the time known as "boxes", instilling in them selflessness, a spirit of sacrifice and responsibility.
The agents of the clandestine networks cannot and will never forget the altruistic spirit of this missionary and great fighter for the freedom of the Timorese people, with whom he undertook to serve, as a priest, as Portuguese and as a humanist.
In the last years of his life, he took on the greater importance of welcoming the most vulnerable, assisting them in accommodation, social assistance and food, as well as in affection, education and the possibility of progressing in the intellectual formation in a healthy environment, enabling studies at the top level and the preparation of young people for active life.
Due to his extreme dedication, he earned respect, admiration and even the veneration of the Timorese people, contributing in a remarkable way to his evangelization and to the consolidation of the Salesian presence in Timor.
In May 2012, the late priest was decorated by the President of the Republic, with the Medal of the Order Dom Martinho Lopes, for his support for the Timorese resistance and relevant contribution to the struggle for independence.
At this moment of so much grief for the religious and the Timorese people in general, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste presents its deepest condolences to the family of the esteemed Father João de Deus, the Catholic Church and the Salesian family of Timor-Leste. ENDS
25 of September of 2019Meeting of the Council of Ministers of September 25, 2019Analyzed:more
1. Presentation on Infrastructure Priorities of the Ministry of Interior;
2.Presentation of the Second National Communication of Timor-Leste under the United Nations Convention on Climate Change;
3. Proposal of Government Resolution authorisation for the opening of public tenders for the conclusion of petroleum contracts.
Approved:
1. statement of sorrow for the death of Father João de Deus Pires;
2.Deliberation concerning the integration of members of the F-FDTL in the contingent of the Armed Forces of Portugal to be sent to the Central African Republic;
3.Government Resolution conferring on the Acting Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, the mandate for the negotiation of Timor-Leste's accession to the World Trade Organization;
4. Full powers to the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, Dulce de Jesus Soares, for the signing of a cooperation agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for a project to strengthen science and mathematics in basic education in Timor-Leste;
5.Proposal for deliberation for the supply of light fuel to the electricity company of Timor-Leste (EDTL) for the years 2019 and 2020.- 19 of September of 2019Timor-Leste's Participation in UN General AssemblyPresidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Dili, 19 of September of 2019
Timor-Leste's Participation in UN General Assembly
On 27 September 2002, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste was unanimously admitted as the 191st member of the United Nations. Since then, the State is required to be represented at the United Nations General Assemblies, held annually at the Headquarters in New York.
In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Dionísio Babo Soares, Ph.D., travels today, September 19 to New York, in order to participate in the 74th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, to be held between the 23rd and the 30th of September.
On the sidelines of the General Assembly, the head of Timorese diplomacy will hold various multilateral, trilateral and bilateral meetings.
The expected agenda during the High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly focuses on (1) the Climate Change Summit, convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres; (2) the Universal Health Access Program; (3) the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF); and (4) the High-level dialogue on development financing (FfD), as well as a high-level meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The Minister will also participate in the high-level meeting to analyse the progress made in addressing the priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by applying the early action program SAMOA Pathway at the national and regional level, from which will result "a summary political declaration, action oriented and intergovernmental agreed".
Under the agenda, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Dionísio Babo Soares, will intervene in the plenary session of the general debate in the presence of the Heads of State and Government, led by the president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, H.E. Tijani Mohammad Bande.
The Minister will participate in ministerial-level meetings, within the G7 + organization, the G77 and China group, the Non-Aligned Countries Movement (NAM), the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) and the "least advanced countries" (LDC's) group.
At the invitation of his counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, the Minister participates as a speaker at the high-level “side event" under the theme "Peace and Political transition".
The agenda includes meetings with the representatives of the (1) Republic of Ireland, (2) the Democratic Republic of Georgia, (3) the Republic of Kosovo, (4) the Republic of Malta, (5) the United States of America and (6) Front Polisario, through the institution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
On a trilateral level, a joint meeting is foreseen with the representatives of the Republic of Indonesia and the Commonwealth of Australia.
In compliance with Timor-Leste's foreign policy strategy "making friends and zero enemies", we will observe the establishment of new diplomatic relations with several countries, considered in the form of "Joint communiqués".
The high-level activities foreseen in the framework of the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations will end on 30 September 2019, and it is expected the Minister will travel to Republic of Cuba, in reciprocity to the official visit of a delegation from the Republic of Cuba to Timor-Leste, at the end of last year. - 17 of September of 2019Day-off on 20 September 2019 on the occasion of the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of INTERFET's arrival in Timor-LestePresidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Day-off on 20 September 2019 on the occasion of the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of INTERFET's arrival in Timor-Leste
available soon - 17 of September of 2019Construction of the Tibar Bay PortPresidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Construction of the Tibar Bay Port
Government officials responsible for the Tibar Bay Port Project, the acting Minister for Planning and Strategic Investment, the acting Minister of Finance, the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of Transport and Communications, aware of and concerned with the impact that the suspension of works on the quarry operated and managed by China Harbor Timor, Lda. may have on the construction of the Tibar Bay Port, gathered information about the precautionary measure ordered by the Dili District Court regarding the plot of land allocated to the quarry.
This project is of public interest, is part of the National Strategic Development Plan for Timor-Leste 2011-2030 and has been supported and promoted by the various Constitutional Governments.
Upon analysing the case, it was found that the court ordered the injunction over the wrong plot of land, i.e., a provisional restoration of possession was petitioned over one plot and the court ordered the injunction over another plot, which created confusion and astonishment for everyone, including the Government itself.
According to the case, the petition concerns a plot that is located over 1 (one) KM away from the plot that was the object of the injunction ordered by the court. Such error determined that access to the quarry be sealed, which prevented the works to progress, with serious risks to the construction of the Tibar Bay Port, which could end up without the supply of the necessary building materials.
According to the information by the National Directorate for Land and Property and Cadastre Services, the plot that was wrongly executed is a plot which still has its ownership under disputed by the State itself and is being verified by the Ministry of Justice.
In view of these facts, the Government decided to act, on behalf of the State and in the defence of the public interest, to alert the Court to the error that was committed, so that the injunction be reviewed and declared null and the immediate removal of fences and / or any other means preventing access to the quarry is ordered.
China Harbor Timor, Lda, which is a subcontractor to the Tibar Bay Port concessionaire, uses the quarrying ground with the knowledge, authorisation and perfect collaboration of all relevant authorities, including the local community, Mota Ikun Hamlet Chief, the Mota Ulun Suco Chief , the Administrator of the Bazartete Administrative Post, the Administrator of the Municipality of Liquiça, the PNTL Commander in Liquiça, the National Directorate of Land and Property and Liquiça Cadastral Services, the National Petroleum and Mineral Authority (responsible for the quarry licensing), the Tibar Bay Port Project Management Unit (responsible for the implementation of the Tibar Bay Port Project), as well as the Government members responsible for the implementation of the Tibar Bay Port project and the Secretary of State for Land and Property and the Minister of Justice.
In addition to this clarification before the court, the Government will take all necessary steps to safeguard the public interest in respect of the construction of the Tibar Bay Port, even if, for this purpose, it will have to resort to expropriation measures for public utility, with the eventual payment of fair compensation, pursuant to the law and the Constitution, since the construction of the Tibar Bay Port, as a project of public interest and fundamental for national development, cannot be stopped. END - 12 of September of 2019Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of September 12, 2019Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of September 12, 2019
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved a vote of condolences for the death of the former President of the Republic of Indonesia, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie.
In the vote of condolence, approved by the Council of Ministers, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste expresses deep regret with the news of the death of B. J. Habibie. At this moment of great consternation for the people of Indonesia, the Government of Timor-Leste presents its deepest condolences to the family of the esteemed former President of the Republic of Indonesia, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, associating themselves with their pain.
B. J. Habibie was the third President of the Republic of Indonesia in a mandate that began on the 21st of May 1998 and ended on the 20th of October 1999.
His very distinguished diplomatic capacity made him a fundamental part of the history of Timor-Leste, when he sent a request to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, on 27 January 1999, allowing the holding of a referendum in Timor-Leste. Though this referendum the Timorese people were able to exercise the right of self-determination and, by a large majority, decided for the independence of Timor-Leste in 1999.
The vote of condolence will be presented to the family of B. J. Habibie by the former President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. ENDS
