Dili, December 10, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The Secretary of State for Social Communication (SEKOMS), together with the Japanese Ambassador to Timor-Leste and representatives from UNDP, held a meeting to discuss the construction project for the new Radio Televisão Timor-Leste (RTTL) building. The meeting took place on Tuesday in the Kofi Annan Room, Caicoli, Dili.
The Secretary of State for Social Communication, Expedito Loro Dias Ximenes, said today’s meeting with the Japanese Ambassador and UNDP representatives aimed to review the project management presentation on the new RTTL building construction.
“We all know this construction project has faced delays due to issues with the Indonesian company that originally won the contract. After three months of work, the company claimed rising material costs and admitted it lacked the capacity to continue, which led to its resignation from the project,” said Secretary of State Expedito Loro Dias Ximenes.
He added that the Governments of Japan and Timor-Leste, together with UNDP, met today to resume the progress of the construction project. During the meeting, they also announced the development of a new design. The company responsible for the redesign will complete it within two months.
“Starting from today until February 2026, the redesign will be prepared and then reviewed again. There is also a small adjustment: initially, the government planned a four-story building, but due to the land conditions in Caicoli and concerns about soil resistance, the design will now be reduced to three stories, although other technical aspects remain,” he explained.
The Secretary of State stated that construction is expected to begin again in March 2026. According to UNDP, as the project implementer with support from the Government of Japan, the work will take 16 months, beginning in March 2026 and finishing around September or October 2027. The Japanese Government will continue supporting the project and will submit a report to Tokyo to reaffirm its commitment.
“We reviewed the design and confirmed the construction budget remains at USD 4.4 million, while the total amount granted by the Government of Japan is USD 5.9 million. Part of these funds will also be used for journalist training, managed by UNDP,” said Expedito Loro Dias Ximenes.
He added that the redesign is being carried out between March and February, and the final work will continue afterward. The winning company, PT AMITAS from Indonesia, will be responsible for producing the new design under the contract signed earlier.
Meanwhile, UNDP Resident Representative in Timor-Leste, Katyna Argueta, said today’s meeting discussed the RTTL building project, which aims to strengthen democratic participation among Timorese citizens.
“This project has two objectives: first, to provide training for journalists to gain new knowledge and improve their work according to journalistic standards; and second, to build the new RTTL building,” said Katyna Argueta.
She added that the project faced major challenges in its initial phase, but these issues have now been addressed. UNDP has already signed a contract with a new company to begin redesigning the RTTL building. The company will carry out its work according to schedule to ensure the project can be completed on time.
“I want to express my gratitude to RTTL’s leadership for its strong collaboration with UNDP on this project, and I also appreciate the Government of Japan for its continued commitment, which reflects its support for sustainable development in Timor-Leste,” she added.
On the other hand, the Japanese Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Tetsuya Kimura, expressed appreciation for the strong cooperation between the Governments of Japan and Timor-Leste.
“Today we held a joint meeting to discuss how to advance the construction of the new RTTL building. I also reaffirm Japan’s commitment to this project,” said Ambassador Kimura.
The Ambassador noted that the project has faced several challenges related to land conditions, but today’s discussions focused on identifying solutions to ensure construction can begin as soon as possible.
In conclusion, the Government of Timor-Leste, through SEKOMS, together with the Government of Japan and UNDP, reviewed the new RTTL building project. Despite numerous challenges, all parties believe that a final solution is near and construction will begin soon to support RTTL’s future work.
Report: Nelfiano
Photo: Nelfiano