DILI, 25 october 2024 (TATOLI) – Speaking from Portugal where he is on a State Visit, President of the Republic, Jose Ramos Horta called on Dili Municipal Administrator, Gregorio Saldanha Mouris and Secretary of State, Germano Santa Brites Dias to cease violent actions against street vendors in Dili and to respect the laws that the government has made to regulate their actions. Furthermore, the President has called on the Dili Municipality to hand over all reports regarding the incident in Kampu Baru this week and the one that occurred in early September.
President Ramos-Horta highlighted that the Decree Law on Hygiene and Public Order does not ban people from selling things, such as fruit and vegetable on the side of the road. The only restriction is that the vendors must not block the path of cars or pedestrians or create a dangerous situation.
“I have never seen street seller block the footpath next to a public road so that people could not walk past and buy the things they want to sell. It would be completely illogical for them to do this” he said, “as it would mean they would not have any customers. There is always space left by the sellers for people to walk past and buy their goods,” Horta said in a statement.
The Decree Law does not empower anybody, including the Dili Municipality or the Secretary of State or their staff to attack sellers and destroy their goods and property. It only allows the Municipal authorities to commence administrative proceedings against them and to give them a fine of $5 to people if they create a danger or obstacle to cars or pedestrians.
“The authorities are behaving like out of control street thugs at the moment and they need to be brought under control immediately by the Government” the President said. “How are we to pretend we are a state of law, push our membership to ASEAN and stand up for human rights internationally when we have these thugs running around the streets of Dili?” he continued.
The President called upon the Dili Municipal Administrator and the Secretary fo State to immediately provide him with copies of all reports and documents relating to the actions against street vendors in Kampu Baru over the last two months.
“I want to see the facts upon which they think they have the legal right to take the violent and excessive action they do, because from what I understand, there is nothing to support these violent assaults on our people. The Decree Law requires that the Municipality must prepare a report describing the alleged illegal acts and identifying the people they argue have committed offences. They must set out in these reports what articles they say have been specifically breached. I want to see these reports and I want them on my desk when I return next week from Portugal”.
The President reiterated his previous public calls for the Prosecutor General to investigate the Secretary of State and his staff’s action. “I met with the PGR in September and asked him to act upon the first incident. To my knowledge nothing has been done in response to that request. I will on my return write to the PGR and ask him to open a case into both incidents.”
“Our people suffer enough as it is to make a living everyday. They do not deserve to be beaten by thugs for trying to do this. As he left Dili last month the Pope asked me personally to look after our wonderful people. I intend to do that.”
Journalist: Jose Belarmino de Sa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
