Source Photo: Loluwari.com
Starting in early 2024, the Timor-Leste Government embarked on a campaign of evictions and demolitions of buildings which were deemed to be “illegally occupying state land.” The Government has also shut down unlicenced commercial activities by confiscating commercial goods and closing informal markets. In just a few months, hundreds of families have lost homes, businesses and income. This has caused intense distress for many citizens, while generating public debate and controversy. Fundasaun Mahein (FM) is extremely concerned about both the methods adopted by the Government to implement this policy, and the eviction campaign’s underlying motives.
Although eviction notices had been delivered in various areas around the capital city for several years, the recent wave of evictions, demolitions and confiscations began in earnest in early 2024. The policy is being implemented by a “joint team” led by the State Secretariat for Toponymy and Urban Organisation Affairs (SEATOU), under the Ministry of State Administration, as part of the Ministry’s role in the “promotion of urban hygiene and public order.” So far, the campaign has been concentrated in Dili, but there have also been reports of evictions occurring in other parts of the country, including in Baucau municipality.
The methods and timing of the current campaign have sparked a major debate in Timorese society, with opinion heavily divided between “pro” and “contra”. On one hand, many citizens have voiced support for the removal of unregulated and poorly constructed buildings that they view as illegal, obstructive and unsafe. On the other, a significant portion of the population believes that the evictions have been executed inhumanely, without adequate support or compensation for those displaced.
FM has written previously that poor urban management poses a serious threat to public health and safety in this country. We have called on the Government to take action to improve adherence to formal rules regarding vehicle use, construction practices, waste management and noise control. Part of this entails identifying and removing hazardous buildings and preventing behaviour such as improper waste disposal and illegal blocking of public roads.
However, we also recognise that the problems which the eviction and confiscation campaign is supposedly aiming to address are the result of long-term structural factors, including poverty, lack of education, and minimal adherence to formal rules across the whole of Timorese society. These complex issues cannot simply be resolved through short-term, top-down government interventions. We have repeatedly cautioned against heavy-handed approaches to complex social problems, and instead urged the State to tackle these issues systematically, with integrated long-term planning, and without resorting to violence or brute force.
Given these concerns, FM is particularly alarmed by SEATOU’s actions during this campaign. Rather than implementing the law as claimed to transform Dili into a modern, clean, well-organised city, SEATOU appears to be acting as if they are above the law. Videos have surfaced showing the head of SEATOU threatening and intimidating community members flanked by heavy security and showing security forces beating citizens protesting non-violently against the demolition of their houses. FM agrees with the view of other civil society organizations that SEATOU is not behaving like a responsible state entity, but more like gangsters or thugs, using bulldozers and state security forces as a weapon to threaten and intimidate the people.
While the Government has justified the evictions by claiming that people have been occupying the land illegally, some evictees reportedly had agreements with the State to rent the land for business activities. FM has also heard direct reports from evictees that their families had established their homes and businesses on the land decades ago, during Indonesian and even Portuguese times, often with specific authorisation from local authorities. However, due to the lack of proper documentation, verifying these claims has proven difficult.
The Government claims that the evictions are part of an inter-ministerial program involving the Ministry of State Administration, Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Health. This is supposed to provide integrated support for evictees to ensure access to social welfare and basic services. However, according to direct testimonies heard by FM, most are not receiving the promised support, and are being left largely to fend for themselves. As a result, dozens of families, at a minimum, have faced homelessness and loss of income following their eviction, including mothers with young children, elderly people, and sick people.
FM is deeply concerned about the motives and objectives underlying both the campaign itself, and its timing. A key factor influencing the timing of the campaign is the impending visit of Pope Francis later this year. Indeed, Government officials have openly admitted that the urgency of the evictions is partly to prepare the capital city for this high-profile visit. While welcoming the Pope is important, FM believes that it should not be used as a justification for mass evictions. FM agrees with the Timorese priest who said that the Pope would be saddened to hear that vulnerable people lost their homes as part of the Government’s preparations for his visit.
Another factor which FM suspects may be at play is the apparent increased interest from foreign investors in Dili’s real estate market. Clearing strategic locations through mass evictions could pave the way for private investments in luxurious shopping centres and apartments. Many would support such developments as they would stimulate economic growth and provide upgraded amenities, while creating some jobs for local people. However, if the Government’s goal is simply to attract “high end” investments, these projects are unlikely to produce tangible benefits for most Timorese, at least in the short-term. The main beneficiaries will be the wealthier class of Timorese, foreigners living in Dili, and politicians who stand to gain both politically and financially from the influx of foreign capital.
FM believes that the campaign reflects the lack of consistency which has been a pervasive feature of Timor-Leste’s governance and public administration since independence. This “consistent inconsistency” takes many forms: as FM points out regularly, within the state administration and society in general, formal rules are routinely ignored and the rule of law remains extremely weak. This includes a complete failure by previous governments to prevent the growth of informal settlements around the capital city. Now that politicians have finally decided that they want to enforce “law and order”, hundreds of “small people” must lose their homes and businesses. Indeed, we see that politicians are often quick to refer to the “rule of law” when condemning the actions of “small people.” Meanwhile, elite impunity reigns, with widespread corruption and nepotism in state administration as the norm. Timor-Leste’s leaders say they want to diversify the economy, reduce poverty and increase incomes. Yet, through these evictions, the Government is destroying wealth by demolishing homes and businesses, for which many have saved and invested scarce resources for decades.
Economic growth may well be one of the goals – and results – of the eviction campaign; however, it will come at a heavy price, and FM questions whether the coming investments will benefit the majority of Timorese people. Meanwhile, state entities continue to act as if they are above the law, while claiming to be enforcing the Rule of Law. The Pope’s visit will provide a propaganda win for the Government, but no one can predict what will happen in the months ahead. If controversial practices continue, including blatant nepotism, corruption, and incompetence, while the majority sees no tangible improvements in their daily lives, FM predicts that mass discontent and political instability will continue to grow. As we approach the looming fiscal cliff, with no end to official corruption and nepotism, we ask: what will it take to convince leaders to take the actions required to secure the country’s future?