Paulina Quintao – Alola Foundation urges relevant institutions, especially the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) to conduct a routine control and checks to the Casino across Dili to prevent activities such as prostitution, drug use and human trafficking from taking place.

The Director of Alola Foundation (AF) Alzira Reis said despite the legality of gambling other negative activities should not allowed to flourish and this needs to be controlled by the security authorities.

She is concerned with the existence of these gaming houses as they have many foreign women working in them and their passports are confiscated by their employers.

She considered this a serious situation and the government must act by conducting regular inspections because those people may be victims of human trafficking.

"Law implementation should be strong. Immigration services should be strengthened and routine inspections should be conducted so that there is greater control over who comes into the country and that what they do here is important," she said from her office, in Mascarenhas, Dili.

She said unless there is rigorous control, this will lead to negative effects such as human trafficking, drugs and higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections.

Alola Foundation is a women's organization established in 2001 and working to fix the quality life of women and children. This organization is part of a working group that combats human trafficking in Timor-Leste.

On the other hand, the director of national organization Luta Hamutuk (LH) Jose da Costa said there should be a limit on the number of Casinos allowed to operate and greater control over their activities to limit any other activities emerging in the country.

He asked the government to measure and analyze the social impacts of casino because it has given negative impacts to the society. "We prefer to close them because it is not part of our culture."

He added the existence of casino will lead to prostitutions, human trafficking and drug entering the country if there is no proper control from the authorities especially from the security sector.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/15447-alola-foundation-urges-pntl-to-control-casinos