Dili, 12 May 2026 (Media Democracia) – Communities affected by the public road widening from three Aldeias (Badiak, Mane Mesak, and Mauk) in Suku Manleuana held a Press Conference to convey to relevant parties that, on March 31, 2026, a joint team composed of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), Land and Property, and the State Secretariat for Toponymy and Urban Organization (SEATOU), accompanied by security authorities such as PNTL (civil police and Personal Security Corps) and F-FDTL (Military Police), carried out actions.
According to Spokesperson Amaro de Oliveira, the joint team came with heavy equipment and used only a dictatorial system to forcibly demolish the houses of affected community members in Suku Manleu-Ana, composed of the three Aldeias (Badiak, Mane Mesak, and Mauk). These affected community members live in the road corridor area from Elemloi to Canossa School, Has-Laran.
“The affected communities consider these actions as using dictatorship to demolish a total of seven (7) households out of 11 households, because the joint team demolished the community’s houses without following the legal procedures that the joint team had socialized during the socialization period before the final marking. The timeline was as follows: on December 11, 2024, the MOP team marked the affected community members’ houses without any official notification letter. The team just suddenly marked the community’s houses. So, most homeowners were out working or earning a living as small traders, and some had gone to the mountains for cultural matters, meaning the homeowners were all out/the doors were locked. But the team just climbed over walls to mark the houses. In some houses, only children and women were home, but the team used force and compelled them to open the doors to enter the house and rooms to observe, then came out and marked the community’s houses.” said Spokesperson Amaro de Oliveira.
He added, “When the women and children asked about the official notification letter and on what basis they were marking houses without any official letter, and what the future process would be, the MOP team only gave a short answer saying, ‘If you want to know more information, starting tomorrow you can come to us at MOP in Rai-kotu,’ and they could explain to you, because the road widening would start in February 2025.”
“On January 23, 2025, the Socialization Team, which included MOP, Land and Property, and SEATOU, the Ministry of State Administration (MAE) through local authorities such as the APA of Dom-Aleixo, the Manleu-Ana Village Chief, the Comoro PNTL Squadron Commander, including SEATOU’s Escort (CSP and Military Police), held a meeting with affected communities at the Manleu-Ana village office to socialize information about the road widening from Elemloi to Rate-Ain/Bua-Laran. The joint team, led by Secretary of State Germano Santa Brites Dias, during the socialization stated that the marking would cover both sides of the road (left and right), and further emphasized that the road would be 14 to 17 meters wide because it already includes sidewalks, drainage, clean water facilities, and electricity lines. At the same time, the team also explained the phases/process of the road widening: Socialization, Data Collection, Data Elaboration, Data Publication, Meeting and Verification, ‘Terms of Acceptance,’ Payment Process, and Notification Letter. Secretary of State Germano Dias and the MOP team themselves conveyed these points during the socialization held on January 23, 2025, at the Manleu-Ana Village Office, Dom-Aleixo, Dili, Timor-Leste,” he stated.
He further emphasized that, “On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the MOP team came to do a second marking on that day covering only six (6) meters. On October 14, 2025, the team from MOP, Land, and SEATOU came immediately with heavy equipment to carry out immediate demolition (immediate eviction) of the community’s houses. But at that time, the affected community members rejected it and asked the Joint Team to explain the reason why the Joint Team was coming to carry out eviction, since as far as the community knew there were still no Terms of Acceptance. But the joint team could not respond and waited until midday before leaving, saying to meet with Secretary of State Mr. Germano Santa Brites Dias on October 15, 2025.”
“On October 15, 2025, Secretary of State Mr. Germano Santa Brites Dias and his Joint Team (MOP, SEATOU, and Land and Property) managed to meet with the affected communities and decided together that the road would be widened to 17 to 19 meters but opened on both the left and right sides, and therefore asked communities to cooperate with the technical team. At that moment, all community members agreed that if the road is 19 meters wide, then the marking on the left and right sides of the road would be 5.20 meters, because the current road is 9 meters. So the road from Elemloi to Rate-Ain/Bua-Laran is 19 meters which already includes sidewalks, drainage, and electricity lines and clean water facilities. Because the road has two lanes: the road body is 6.5 meters, the pedestrian sidewalk is 2 meters, the iron drainage and clean water facility is 1 meter. The same applies to the other lane. So at that time everyone had already agreed, and then the team dispersed,” he said.
In December 2025, the Joint Team from MOP and Land and Property came to do a new marking, based on the discussion between affected communities and Secretary of State Germano Brites that the road would be 19 meters because the road has two lanes: the road body is 6.5 meters, the pedestrian sidewalk is 2 meters, the iron drainage and clean water facility is 1 meter. So on the same date, the Joint Team marked with yellow paint at 5.20 meters for affected houses from Pelican Grammar School to the front gate of Canossa School. After the team did the marking, the next day the community themselves, each with awareness, moved their belongings and demolished their own houses, and no security authority team accompanied them. This shows that the community was indeed cooperating.
On March 30, 2026, the Joint Team from MOP, Land and Property, and SEATOU came immediately with heavy equipment and police security authorities to start demolishing the wall of NERIO Company, whose owner was also surprised because there was no official notification letter from the team. But suddenly the team came and was already demolishing before the company owner arrived. But on March 31, 2026, the Joint Team from MOP, Land and Property, and SEATOU again came with heavy equipment and police security authorities, two cars, and two cars of personal security corps, to force community members to leave immediately to give time for the heavy machinery to work. And at that moment, the joint team made a new marking and demolished beyond the right side of the road, which reached 11.60 meters compared to the marking the joint team made in December 2025 which was 5.20 meters wide.
With this situation, the affected communities ask the National Parliament, especially Commission E which handles infrastructure, to go to the field and dialogue with the community.
The community also asks the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ) to investigate and condemn the alleged violation of community rights and the lack of an appropriate plan for development that is considered just and transparent for everyone.
Report By: Tomás Dos Santos
Report By: Tomás Dos Santos