United States Embassy in Timor-Leste Charge d’affaires Katherine Dueholm has warned Timorese citizens not to be complacent about the threat of terrorism.
Dueholm said terrorism knew no borders and posed a threat to both long-existing nations and newly established ones.
Timor-Leste’s geographic location close to possible terrorist targets Australia and Indonesia could place it at risk, she said.
“It’s important not to be complacent,” she said.
“We’re in a beautiful country and things have been peaceful here for several years and we hope it will stay that way but it’s important to take steps to protect that peace.”
She said the best way to deal with the terrorist threat was for the government to take steps to ensure its institutions were strong.
“(The threat can be managed by) making sure that the government and law enforcement have all the tools they need to help prevent any terrorists, extremists or organized crime from seeing Timor-Leste as a soft target; an easy place to operate,” she said.
“That involves a lot of training and we’re pleased we have worked with the government both with the police and with the armed forces to provide training to counter some of that.”
Dueholm said strong anti-money laundering laws and institutions were key to countering the terrorist threat.
“It’s important to look at not only the direct threat but also other things that might invite terrorists in, such as the ability to process money,” she said.
“That’s a big hole that’s very easy for terrorists to find.
“Any place that doesn’t have the right laws against money laundering, for instance, can be appealing to a terrorist group and if they find that easy they may find it easy to operate directly out of that country as well.”
The US Embassy has worked with the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) and the Timor-Leste Defence Force to provide training in the areas of counter-terrorism and organized crime, which Dueholm said were often linked.
PNTL national deputy director Chief Luis S. Barreto said immigration officers had undergone counter-terrorism training, focusing on the situation in the Middle East.
He said Immigration Police maintained good relationships with Interpol and foreign embassies to allow them to anticipate any potential threats.
Tools to detect threats had been set up at national entry points, he said.
“When someone tries to enter on a counterfeit passport, it will show and we can take action immediately,” he said.
The nations of USA, Australia and Indonesia had all helped train Timorese police in counter-terrorism, he said.
Fundasaun Mahein executive director Nelson Belo called for a cohesive counter-terrorism policy from state institutions.
He said while he doubted Timor-Leste was a direct target of terrorist action, it was nevertheless important to have in place a strategy to anticipate any threat to security.
“The problems we’ve seen occur in our neighbouring countries should wake us up and ensure we don’t wait until something happens,” he said.
Belo said the relevant institutions needed to create clear anti-terror laws and improve co-ordination with the intelligence services of Timor-Leste’s neighbouring nations in order to intercept threats.
He said Fundasaun Mahein was concerned that security in Timor-Leste was fragile and both maritime and land borders were porous due to a lack of detection equipment.
