DILI, 06 september 2021 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste National Defense Force (F-FDTL) will release a list of the new 600 successful candidates, of which 11 percent were women, on september 15, 2021.
Chief of Staff of the F-FDTL, Colonel Calisto dos Santos “Koliate” informed that the official recruitment of the new 600 successful candidates had been postponed due to pandemic, saying it wasn’t only affected Timor-Leste, but also the factories that produced the army uniform and other essential equipment of the soldiers overseas.
“The equipment for these new 600 candidates had been ordered and will arrive in Timor-Leste shortly. Due to the pandemic that’s why it would take a little bit longer than we expected,” Koliate told reporters at the Ministry of Finance, in Dili, today.
The essential equipment for soldiers includes uniforms, packs, helmets, firearms, etc.
He said Timor-Leste has a responsibility to contribute to the stabilization of the Southeast Asia Region: “To exercise this responsibility, we require adequate, sophisticated, and modern equipment. It’s 2021, but I can say that our equipment is outdated like those we used in 1975.”
“It’s been 20 years now, F-FDTL needs adequate and modern equipment to adjust with the current situation,” said Koliate.
At the same place, the Minister of Defense, Filomeno Paixão informed Covid-19 was the reason for the slowdown in the official recruitment of the 600 new members of the F-FDTL.
On may 21, 2021, the F-FDTL released a list of the 2400 applicants who passed the shortlist, and on july 14, 2021, F-FDTL concluded the testing of the new members.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
