Marcelo and Ramos-Horta met with Timorese immigrants in Lisbon

Portuguese Heads of State Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta met Timorese immigrants this Wednesday at the Lisbon Municipal Police Pavilion in an initiative that was not disclosed to the public. , social communication.

The photographs published this Wednesday afternoon on the official website of the President of the Republic on the Internet show that, in addition to the two heads of state, the Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ana Catarina Méndez, and the Vice President of the Lisbon City Administration Council, Filipe Anacoreta Correia.

“The President of the Republic and the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, met with Timorese immigrants in Lisbon,” the short text accompanying the photos says, without further information about the initiative.

On Monday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa received José Ramos-Horta at Belém Palace in Lisbon at the start of his state visit to Portugal, and they talked about the recent wave of Timorese immigration to Portugal.

In a joint press conference with Ramos-Horta, the President of Portugal stated that the authorities of Portugal and Timor-Leste are working together to create conditions for the newly arrived Timorese and combat illegal activities.

Authorities in both countries are working to identify “illegal or illegal patterns of exploitation, human trafficking, labor,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.

In Portugal, “several cases have been received by the public prosecutor” and there have been “interventions by the labor inspectorate in the company, that is, in the final contractors, to investigate instability or lack of work, pay conditions,” he added.

“We both agree that what is happening and what is happening outside the law is unacceptable. Therefore, it must be under supervision, it must be the object of interference not only in the administrative but also in the judicial sphere,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.

According to the Portuguese Head of State, “there are currently 873 Timorese in Portugal, ‘of which the vast majority – more than 500 – are living, receiving, sheltering or being supported by various institutions.” authorities and institutions of social solidarity.

So far, “approximately two hundred people have been able to find work” and it is expected that in total there will be about “1,300 Timorese citizens” in Portugal, taking into account data indicating that “since January 5,514 entries and 4,141 exits” from country, he said.

Noting that there is a 90-day visa waiver and that people “can move freely, enter, meet and leave,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa added: “Portugal, through this group of organizations, can create conditions of permanence within a few days, except on the street “.