Dili turns into gambling den

Dili turns into gambling den

DILI, East Timor: A senior local politician attacked the
government yesterday for turning a blind eye to rampant gambling
in the province.

Manuel Carrascalao, a member of the provincial legislative
council, said that many government and military officials were
involved in illegal gambling.

It is widely understood that officials have, over the past
five days, been crowding the second floor of a major hotel in
Dili in order to gamble, which is a criminal offense in the
country.

"It's high time that the government took punitive action
against officials who are involved in gambling. Every citizen
should be treated equally before the law," Carrascalao said.

A reliable source said the illicit activity's turnover reaches
several million rupiah every day. (yac)