"In 2019 the criminal cases were very high, therefore we hope that by 2020 criminality throughout Timor-Leste should be reduced, especially in the city of Dili," Oliveira said.

Fretilin has received a number of reports from people expressing concern about their safety, Oliveira said.

The incidents occurred amid a slight uptick in gang related violence across Timor-Leste, still at low levels. They were mainly cases of clashes between rival groups although some did involve knives and arson.

Oliveira said Fretilin takes a serious view of people’s safety, calling for police to ensure criminals were kept off the street. Analysts are divided over the response to gang and criminal activity.

In March 2019, following a call from Lere Anan Timur, the Chief of State-Major General of the F-FDTL for a military response to banned martial arts gang (MAGS), local security watchdog Fundasaun Mahein labelled the move could “do more harm than good.”

“MAGs must be understood in the context of several demographics, economic, and political factors in Timor-Leste,” said Joao Almeida, the Acting Director of Fundasaun Mahein.

Almeida warned of a danger to tackling gangs without addressing the “underlying trends that have led to the rise of MAGs.”

He pointed particularly to Timor-Leste’s youth bulge and high unemployment rate. Only a quarter of Timorese youth are employed in the formal sector with statistic showing the rate decreasing.

Timor-Leste sits at level one for crime, meaning people should exercise “normal precautions”, according to current U.S Department of State Travel Advice.

Naran sala