Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 27th, 2024
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste
Ninth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 27th, 2024
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the draft Government Resolution presented by the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, to grant US$ 2.5 million to the Autonomous Region of Madeira to support the recovery of the damage caused by the fire that ravaged the island.
This fire, which started on August 14th, 2024, in the mountains of the municipality of Ribeira Brava, quickly spread to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and Santana. The fire devastated more than 9,000 hectares of forest, corresponding to more than 14 per cent of the island's forest area. The flames, which mainly affected the Central Mountain Massif, caused significant damage, although there is no record of destroyed homes or essential public infrastructure. However, intervention in the devastated forest areas is of great importance.
The Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, in the spirit of solidarity and commitment to cooperation between peoples, expresses its support for the brotherly Portuguese people and the population of Madeira by donating to help recover from the damage caused by the fires.
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According to the draft presented by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu, the Council of Ministers decided to authorise the expenditure of US$14.28 million on the procurement of a 17-year long-term service contract for the Submarine Fibre Optic Cable between 2025 and 2041.
This decision is based on the need to ensure the permanent reserve of internet bandwidth capacity and to guarantee the continuous and efficient maintenance of the submarine fibre optic cable system. The fibre-optic submarine link, which connects Dili to Darwin and Port Hedland in Australia, is critical infrastructure for technological development and the diversification of the country's economy. For the landing station's technical complex to function properly, hiring specialised services to ensure this system's continuous operation and maintenance is imperative, thus contributing to widespread and efficient access to the ‘internet’ throughout the country.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolution, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, to award the Comité Orientador 25 (Guiding Committee 25 - CO25) a public subsidy of US$ 160,000 to finance the costs of the activities to be conducted by CO25 as part of the celebrations of the 25th Anniversary of the Popular Consultation of August 30th, 1999.
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Lastly, the members of the Council of Ministers, in the presence of representatives of the Holy See, analysed the preparations for His Holiness Pope Francis's visit to Timor-Leste.
The representatives of the Holy See, who have been following the ongoing preparations for the visit since August 25th, expressed their delight and gratitude for the work done by the Government and the local Church in organising this important event.
His Holiness Pope Francis will be visiting Timor-Leste from September 9th to 11th. END
