On September 26, in the Díli Port, Timor-Leste received three patrol vessels for the Falintil – Timor-Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL), delivered by the representative of the Republic of Korea’s Minister of Defence, Major General Jeong Dong Wun, and the Korean Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Seo Kyoung-Suk.

The interim Prime Minister José Luís Guterres said that “every year the State and People of Timor-Leste lose a lot of resources caused by illegal fishing, so we hope that with the three patrol vessels offered by the Government of the Republic of Korea, F-FDTL can ensure safety in the Timor sea, especially in the south coast of the island”.

The President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, requested to the Government that the 2012 State Budget allocate a budget for the construction of a temporary workshop for the maintenance of ships, thus avoiding their maintenance in Surabaya: “as soon as we build a workshop and a definitive port, we can ensure the maintenance of these vessels for a longer period”.

The representative of the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Korea, Major General Jeon Dong Wun, thanked the Government of Timor-Leste, including the Secretary of State for Defence, for the invitation to participate in the patrol vessel ceremony, hoping that the support may contribute to the protection of marine resources and national security in general. The Major General also believes that the bilateral relationship between Korea and Timor-Leste in the economic, military, social and cultural areas, can become stronger in the future.

The three patrol vessels, which are now part of the F-FDTL naval component, were baptized with the names Kamenassa, Díli and Hera.

Participating in this ceremony were the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, the interim Prime Minister José Luís Guterres, the President of the Court of Appeal, Cláudio Ximenes, the Attorney General’s Office, Ana Pessoa, the representative of the Minister of Defense the Republic of Korea, Major General, Jeong Dong Wun, Major-General of the F-FDTL, Taur Matan Ruak; Brigadier General of the F-FDTL, Lere Anan Timor; the Chief of Staff, Colonel Falur Rate Laek; Korean Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Kyoung-Suk Seo, the Deputy Commissioner of the PNTL, Afonso de Jesus and other elements of the F-FDTL.