The Director of Decolores Del Amor foundation (FDA)-Hak Assocition, Xisto Gonçalves said his team has traveled to Bobonaro Municipality to raise awareness about drugs to the youths of Mota-Ain and Batugade.
He added that the aim of the socialisation is to inform the communities about the negative impacts of using drugs.
“We have started in Batugade in November 2015 and we will then train in Mota-Ain,” said Director FDA Gonçalves in Dili.
He said many in the community do not have knowledge about the type of drugs available and sometimes they may see them but not actually know what they are.
“As part of the raising of awareness we talk about a urine test that is conducted on the youths,” he said.
He said also that his organisation continues to lobby the Government and the National Parliament and all other authorities to highlight the importance of raising awareness to increase public knowledge on the issue of drugs.
“We must fight drugs now and not tomorrow because the youth will become the potential victims. Some will also lose their lives because of drugs.”
Meanwhile the Director of HAK Association Manuel Monteiro Fernandes said it is easy to import the drugs into the country due to weak border security.
“There are just six police officers to monitor out land borders and our maritime security is still weak so it is easy for the drug smugglers to bring it in,” said Director Fernandes.
He added that Timor-Leste’s border with Indonesia especially in Mota-Ain, Mota Tasi, and Sakato in Oe-Cusse are vulnerable.
The Director said also that Indonesia has a big drug market and this makes drugs easy to circulate.
“They bring the drugs into our country to hide them and then they try to go to Indonesia to sell them or go to Darwin, in Australia,” he said.
