Singapore, 30 May 2025

The Chief of General Staff of FALINTIL - Timor-Leste Defence Forces (F-FDTL), Lieutenant General Domingos Raúl "FALUR RATE LAEK", accompanied the President of the Republic, Dr. José Ramos Horta, in a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Defence of Singapore, Mr. Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai, at the Shangri-La hotel.

At this meeting, the President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta, stated: "Timor-Leste needs to learn a lot from the development of Singapore. In Timor-Leste, people steal money from banks, there are not many people stealing motorcycles, and the police station in Timor-Leste is full of impounded motorcycles, and in Timor-Leste there are no drug-related crimes, but some countries try to transfer drugs to other countries. In general, we maintain peace and harmony in Timor-Leste." As President of Timor-Leste, I want to convey a message to my people: continue to build peace and stability in Timor-Leste and I hope that in the near future we will reach an agreement with Australia on oil and gas, because oil is very important for our country, Timor-Leste, as it can reduce unemployment.

The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Falur Rate Laek, the Ambassador of Timor-Leste in Singapore, Mr. Alex Tilman, the Commissioner General of the PNTL, Mr. Henrique da Costa, the Deputy Field Captain, Guido Jerónimo Guterres, and the Deputy Secretary, Ambassador of Timor-Leste in Singapore, Mr. Iron.

F-FDTL

Jose Silva