NTT Provincial Police Asked to Arrest Debt Collector Detaining Timor-Leste Vehicle

The NTT provincial government has requested the NTT Regional Police to arrest a debt collector individual suspected of detaining a vehicle with Timor-Leste plates upon entering the archipelagic province. NTT Deputy Governor Johni Asadoma in Kupang on Friday stated that his side had received a report from the Timor-Leste delegation regarding the alleged practice, which is deemed to potentially disrupt the good relations between Indonesia and Timor-Leste, particularly NTT and Timor-Leste. “In the meeting with the RDTL delegation regarding NTT-Timor Leste cooperation in the tourism, trade, industrial, agricultural, and livestock sectors, I received a report on that matter,” he said. Based on the received report, there is an alleged practice by a debt collector individual who illegally followed and detained a vehicle originating from Timor-Leste using that country’s number plates while in the NTT region. According to Johni, the situation is disturbing and potentially disrupts the comfort as well as the good relations between the NTT community and Timor-Leste, which have so far been established through cross-border cooperation and socio-economic relations between the two regions. He emphasised that such actions cannot be justified because they can impact the region’s image and hinder the strengthening of cooperation between NTT and Timor-Leste, especially in the tourism and trade sectors. “The NTT Provincial Government is committed to creating a sense of security and comfort for all guests and investors coming to the region,” he said. As a follow-up, the NTT Provincial Government will report the issue to the NTT Regional Police for handling and legal enforcement in accordance with applicable provisions. The NTT Provincial Government also urges all parties to maintain order and support harmonious cooperative relations between NTT and Timor-Leste.