Dili, December 30, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The Government of Timor-Leste, through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, has reopened the access road to Cristo Rei, allowing the public to access tourist sites in the Dolok-Oan area. However, the public is urged to take responsibility for the facilities that have been prepared at these tourist locations.
The Coordinator General for Environment and Tourism, Jorge Rui de Carvalho Martins, stated that the Government wants Dili to become an attractive tourist destination for visitors. However, some community members fail to help create a positive image of Dili as a tourism destination, particularly due to the practice of indiscriminately dumping garbage at tourist sites that have been prepared by the Government.
“My message to everyone is this: the Government has already done its part by developing tourist sites such as Cristo-Rei Dolok-Oan and other locations. Now it is our shared responsibility to take care of these public facilities. They do not belong only to the Government, but to the public. A simple responsibility is to follow the principle of ‘what you bring in, you must take out,’ especially plastic waste or empty bottles,” said the Coordinator General for Environment and Tourism, Jorge Rui de Carvalho Martins, speaking to journalists at the CNE Hall earlier this week.
The Coordinator General explained that the Government currently does not yet have sufficient capacity to ensure that personnel or specific facilities are available everywhere to maintain sanitation at all tourist sites. Therefore, he called on all relevant entities to pay close attention to public infrastructure prepared by the Government at tourist locations and to take responsibility for maintaining cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation for everyone.
“I have seen on social media that some tourist sites are increasingly dirty and lack proper sanitation, especially access to public toilets. In fact, public toilets do exist, but the security guard responsible for monitoring them has locked them and left. This situation creates problems, including pollution and foul odors,” he explained.
He added that these issues will be discussed with municipal sanitation authorities to work together with the Ministry of Tourism and relevant state institutions to determine who is truly responsible for the operation of public facilities, especially public toilets at tourist sites in Dili, so that they can be opened and accessible to the public.
Furthermore, through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Government calls on everyone to take responsibility for public facilities that have been developed at tourist sites and to continuously remind one another not to damage public infrastructure.
Report: Nelfiano
Photo: Nelfiano