LIFAU is located in Oe-Kusi Ambeno which in 1515 became the gateway and center of the first evangelization of Christianity on the island of Timor (including Nusa Tenggara Timur) for nearly 100 years, is now threatened to turn into a center of hedonism, a center of prostitution activities, a Scam Call Center, human trafficking center and would eventually become the center of a global criminal group in the Southeast Asian region.
Lifau is located in the administrative post of Pante Macassar, in the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Kusi Ambeno (RAEOA), Timor-Leste. The Lifau area itself is not the whole village is 19.14 square kilometers, and its population is 2,505 inhabitants, according to the 2015 census.
The Lifau Monument marks a major event in the history of Timor-Leste and the Catholic Church on the island of Timor.
It was here, specifically on the Lifau Coast, that the Portuguese landed in 1515 and began a colonization that lasted more than 450 years, eventually building the Portuguese capital. From Lifau, the first missionaries began to spread the Catholic faith throughout the island of Timor.
Today, if you visit Lifau, you will see historical evidence with the Lifau Monument and the replica of the Portuguese sailing ship that arrived in Lifau, Oe-Kusi Ambeno.
Lifau in the past
Oe-Kusi Ambeno was the first point on the island of Timor where the Portuguese lived, so it is often considered the birthplace of Timor-Leste. You can say, there is no Lifau, there is no Timor-Leste. Without Lifau, there is no Catholic religion in Timor-Leste.
In 1556, a group of Dominican Friars established the first settlement in Lifau, twelve kilometers west of Pante Macassar. In 1702, Lifau became the capital of the colony when it received the first governor sent from Lisbon, a status it maintained until 1767, when the Portuguese decided to move the capital to Dili, due to frequent incursions by Dutch forces.
It was not until 1859, with the Treaty of Lisbon, that Portugal and the Netherlands divided the island between them: West Timor to the Dutch, with its headquarters in Kupang, and East Timor to the Portuguese, with its headquarters in Dili, recognizing Oe-Kusi Ambeno as a Portuguese slave in Dutch territory.
The Indonesian invasion of what was then Portuguese Timor took place in Oe-Kusi Ambeno a week earlier before spreading to 12 municipalities in Timor-Leste; on November 29, 1975, Pante Macassar was occupied by the fifth column of the Indonesian army. However, even under Indonesian occupation, Oe-Kusi Ambeno continued to be administered as part of the province of Timor-Leste (the name for Timor-Leste in Indonesian), as before under Portuguese. Therefore, when Timor-Leste restored its independence on May 20, 2002, Oe-Kusi Ambeno became an integral part of the young republic.
The English historian Herbert Butterfield once said, “More than anything else, it is the power of historical memory that binds the Israelites together as a people.”
This statement implies that, history is not just a matter of past events. Nor is it a memory to be looked at occasionally. But it is an inseparable part of life itself.
It ties together three strands of time: past, present, and future. This bond is strengthened when God, in whom they believe, plays a significant role in determining the direction of their lives.
Lifau today
The National Intelligence Service (SNI) together with the Scientific Police Criminal Investigation (PSIK) on Monday, August 25, 2025, at approximately 21:00 pm, conducted a surprise visit, to search and seize illegal activities such as Online Scamming, which is suspected authorized by the former President of the Authority of the Special Administrative Region of Oé-kusi Ambeno (RAEOA), Rogério Tiago de Fátima Lobato.
The SNI and PSIK team entered suddenly, and managed to quote the phones of both managers and workers, including quoting the Online Scamming application system.And, the joint team continues to identify more personnel or workers both Timorese and foreign in each room, but the fact shows that most are full of women from Indonesia, China, Malaysia and Singapore.
“You came here with an unclear objective, just to destroy the land of Santo Lifau,” a member of the joint team told the illegal women who had been hiding inside the Oe-Upu hotel for months.
During this time there were various counter reactions from the people of Ambeno on social media platform (Facebook) that the Five Star Hotel Oe-Upu Ambeno which previously became a place for the authorities to hold official ceremonies of the state, Government such as training, training, and socialization, including other activities of the Government, and others. Now the five-star hotel is suspected to have turned into a place of operation for prostitution center activities (Sex Hub, online gambling and other criminal activities.
Working hours, enter 09 am-exit 09 pm, Enter 11 am leave 11 pm. This shows that the international company is free to carry out its activities according to its wishes, beyond the working hours regulated by the government of Timor-Leste.
There are also different rules, no phones, no photos and videos. PA-RAEOA dismissed, Rogério Tiago Lobato in his political statements said will open jobs for thousands of Atoni-oan during this time his result is this. The Central Government should investigate the international company "Seagull Resort" which is currently suspected of using the Oe-Upu hotel.
In addition, although it has not received a license from the central government, especially from the Province of Gaming and Lottery, but Hotel Oe-Upu has been suspected of online scamming and become a good warehouse to import male and female workers from abroad to carry out fraudulent activities including prostitution.
The people of Ambeno really need development in various areas, but totally disagree with the location or place for online gaming activities and other hedonistic activities. The location of these activities should not be near the main gate of Lifau as a holy land for the Christians, should be far from the center of the capital Lifau.
The appropriate and relevant place can be located at the end of Suni-Ufe Village in the area of Panaf Ha'u-Fo'o which is near the coast and has a beautiful landscape, and this place is also now empty and far from the community's settlement.
If the next authority wants to continue such an investment model, its location must be separate, and away from the community's residence in order to avoid the negative impacts of such an investment model.
A vacant site away from the community must be found to be placed. If it is too close to the communities, its negative impact will destroy all the youth of Oe-Kusi Ambeno in a short time.
We all as the people of Ambeno must express great appreciation to the joint team SNI and PSIK that on Monday with God's help, and the help of Ambeno managed to dismantle the Scam Call Center network and online games at Hotel Oe-Upu. Once again, thank you very much for the work of the joint team.
Although, the joint team of SNI and PSIK has managed to dismantle the Sex Hub and Online Scam Call Center at Hotel Oe-Upu which is very close to the first capital of Timor-Leste in 1702 to 1769, and is also the main gate for the first evangelization of the Catholic Church in Timor-Leste, but let us continue to monitor and protect our holy land of Lifau in Oe-Cusse Ambeno.
