DILI, 22 august 2024 (TATOLI) – The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, met with the President of the Association of the Timorese Community in the Philippines, João Kudalai, to discuss the visa problem that Timorese students face in Manila.
The meeting took place as part of the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito Freitas and his delegation to the Republic of the Philippines, on tuesday.
Minister Freitas therefore said that it was very important to talk to representatives of Timorese students in Manila-Philippines, to hear about the difficulties that students face.
During the meeting, representing the students in Manila, Kudalai conveyed the problems and urged the relevant institutions, especially the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Culture, to solve the problem.
According to Kudalai, students whose visas expire are forced to return to their country to extend their visas in order to continue studying in the Philippines.
In response to Kudalai’s statement, Minister Freitas, on behalf of the government, pledged to seek a solution through diplomatic channels, namely by establishing a memorandum of understanding with the government of the Philippines through the application of visa on arrival.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: FIlomeno Martins
