The Timor-Leste University Student Movement (EUTL) opposes the implementation of Decree-Law No. 17/2026, which increases administrative fees for transport, saying the measure does not reflect what people can afford.
EUTL spokesperson Natalino Nunes Martins said the new decree-law, implemented by the National Directorate of Land Transport (DNTT), had caused confusion among the public because it did not reflect people’s economic circumstances.
“EUTL opposes the new transport fees because people cannot afford them. We are asking the government to keep the previous law, No. 03/2010, in force.
“Drivers used to pay US$14 for an inspection, but under the new law that has gone up to US$42. For small vehicles such as the Carry, the fee has gone from US$28 to US$84. These increases do not reflect what people can afford,” he said.
He said that although the new decree-law had already taken effect, EUTL would stand with the public in calling on the government to amend it through the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTK).
“We are asking for changes to the law now in force. We want changes to the provisions that ordinary people cannot afford,” EUTL spokesperson Nunes said at the MTK office in Kaikoli, Dili.
He said EUTL had two main demands: retain Decree-Law No. 03/2010 or keep the new decree-law and amend the provisions that did not meet people’s needs.
Meanwhile, Minister of MTK Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu said the ministry had met with EUTL to discuss public concerns about the increase in transport inspection fees and whether people could afford them.
“We have committed to amending Decree-Law No. 17/2026 to reduce the transport fees in line with people’s needs,” Minister Manetelu said at his office in Kaikoli, Dili.
He said EUTL and the ministry had reached an agreement and asked the students to give the government time to make the changes so the measure would not cause further problems or prompt another public backlash.
“The students asked us to reinstate an earlier ministerial order, but I told them we would not go back to it because it had already been repealed, particularly the rules governing fees. So, we must make the changes by amending the decree-law itself,” he said.
He said the new decree-law was not intended to put pressure on the public during a crisis and had been in preparation for a long time, going through several stages.According to the decree-law, the inspection fee for drivers rose from US$14 for six months to US$42 for one year. The fee for Carry vehicles rose from US$28 to US$84, and the fee for light trucks rose from US$42 to US$126 for one year.
