The man responsible for the New Generation agency was detained by a joint police and military team, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the Dili court, police sources confirmed to Lusa.
“More arrests may follow as the investigation is ongoing. The trial is still ongoing,” a police source told Lusa.
“We have teams on the ground investigating and they will continue to work,” the same source said.
The arrest is part of a wider investigation into companies or individuals associated with what authorities consider to be human trafficking networks involved in sending East Timorese workers to Portugal.
The lack of work in East Timor is causing an exodus of young workers, with Portugal becoming one of the main destinations, with many benefiting from easier access conditions than other countries.
A demand that leads to the appearance of agencies and advertisements that try to mislead young Timorese, who have to pay large sums with the promise of work or visas.
Many East Timorese are eventually cheated and then practically abandoned in the host countries, including Portugal. The most dramatic situations are in Lisbon and Serpa, with many East Timorese on the streets and others living in groups in temporary facilities.
Families also end up with heavy debts on their backs, with illegal loans at very high interest rates.
Last week, Timorese police and investigative authorities pledged to strengthen controls on migrants to reduce possible cases of human trafficking, while investigations into the networks involved continue.
The decision was announced after a meeting at the Presidency of the Republic, promoted by the Casa Militar, involving the National Police of East Timor (PNTL), the Scientific Police for Criminal Investigation (PCIC), the National Intelligence Service (SNI), the Armed Forces of East Timor (F-FDTL), the Immigration Service, the Business Registration and Verification Service (SERVE) and the Anti-Trafficking Commission.
“We met with the entities related to security, in the context of concerns about the situation of Timorese citizens left behind in Germany, Abu Dhabi [nos Emirados Árabes Unidos]Malaysia and Portugal,” Major Francisco da Silva, acting head of the Casa Militar, explained to journalists.
“We have information that about 250 Timorese will be traveling abroad on the 27th. Given the concerns about this, we have called the security forces to discuss ideas to address this issue. We will act to ensure that the law is followed .” and all regulations from now on,” he said.
The military said authorities are continuing to investigate “illegal bodies” involved in possible trafficking cases, which have left “more than 5,000 Timorese” in situations of “abandonment” or difficulties abroad.
Also last week, the Timorese government approved a diploma containing measures to try to accelerate protection actions for Timorese citizens abroad, in the context of growing concern about emigrants who have been misled by human trafficking networks.
Fidelis Magalhães, minister of the presidency of the Council of Ministers, told Lusa that the decree-law is part of a series of measures taken by the executive to address the “great concern” caused by East Timorese who are abroad. misled and left behind, mainly in Portugal.
“During the meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister also gave a very clear instruction on the need to monitor travel agencies and individuals, because we know that there are many who cheat people, sell false things, false information about opportunities outside the country,” he said. Magalhaes.
“We see that there are people who pay five or six thousand dollars [5.070 ou 6.080 euros] for these trips, without proper confirmations that there will be opportunities. Some owners of these agencies are just asking for money and cheating people,” he stressed.
“The government has instructed the Interior Ministry and relevant authorities to investigate and end this practice. The investigation is ongoing and we appeal to the Member of Parliament [Ministério Público] to be more proactive,” said the minister.
Source: DN
