The Maritime Police Unit (MPU) of the National Police of Timor-Leste PNTL has begun to take action to protect environment including cracking down on those who seek to remove corals from the sea for sale.
The Second Commander of the MPU Inspector Joao Cesar da Silva said the coral is one of Timor-Leste’s natural resources.
“We conducted an operation from Bidau-Santana to Metiaut [in Dili] and took all the corals along the coast and ordered someone from the community to throw them back into the sea,” said Inspector da Silva.
He added that coral is very important to protect fish in the sea and to prevent the sea water from destroying the roads and plants along the shore.
According to Decree Law No. 9/2009, Article 32, the MPU is authorised to protect the costal areas and to prevent people from removing coral from the sea and that the Constitution, Article 61 bans the removal of coral for business purposes.
The MPU and local authorities have raised awareness in the community about the importance of coral and have made appeals to those who live along the coast not to keep removing coral.
“We have told them to stop taking the coral and some have stopped but some still do it therefore we have to carry out regular checks,” said Inspector da Silva.
Resident Maria Soares who used to collect the stones not corals on the beach was not happy with what MPU’s recent operation because collecting the stones was the only option she had to make a living.
“I know taking coral is prohibited but please do not prevent us from collecting other stones so that we can make a living,” she urged.
Soares appealed to the MPU, when carrying out their operations, to look carefully at the stones before taking away and dumping them into the sea because some are not coral.
