Foreign nationals have no right to purchase land in Timor-Leste

10 April 2013 - Suara Timor-Lorosae reports on statements by the State Secretary for Land and Property, Jaime Xavier Lopes, regarding the ownership of land in Timor-Leste. He is reported as saying that foreign nationals have no right to purchase land in Timor-Leste despite some of them had bought land from local residents in the country.

“Foreign nationals have no right to land in the country as the Constitution Article 74 states that only Timorese people have the right to land,” Lopes said.

Lopes called on the Timorese people not to support Chinese people in purchasing land in the country because it would impact the country’s new generation.