DILI (TOP) – The Catholic Church of Timor-Leste has been stirred by the first case of alleged pedophilia by a former Pennsylvania missionary in Oe-Kusi Ambeno in 2018.
The former SVD priest has been sued by the prosecutor's office, Oe-Kusi Ambeno, for a pedophilia case. And according to this accusation, around 15 girls were victims of this case, but The Oe-Kusi Post (TOP) has also found 29 girls who had been illegally detained by the prosecutor's office, police and Pradet before undertaking Visum et Repertum (VeR) forcibly.
There are 29 girls become victims of virgin test conducted forcibly by the police and Pradet of Oe-Kusi Ambeno in 2020.
A written declaration by a victim revealed that no one has ever touched sensitive parts of their bodies during their lifetime. However, through virgin test everything in their bodies including their vagina were destroyed in Oe-kussi Ambeno. Prior to having virgin test, Pradet and the police detained these girls during one week in safe house Pradet, located in Sikluli nearby the office of CNE (National Election Commission) of Oe-kussi Ambeno, and under-age girls were detained in Pradet office, located behind the regional hospital of Oe-kusi Ambeno in Santa Rosa.
28 of May 2020One victim of virgin test declared that on 28 of May 2020, one officer from the Public Ministry by the name of Manuel Oqui, along with Juliana Meni from Alfela and his driver Francisco Taeki took orphan children in Topu Honis Shelter in the sub-village of Kutete, village of Costa, sub-district of Pante Makaras, Oe-kusi Ambeno. Kutete is a mountainous area where the shelter is located.
“They asked us to sign, but our sisters refused to do so. Our sisters asked them where was the letter coming from? They responded the letter came from national. Therefore, we signed the letter. After signing the letter, they asked us to get on the car. With us inside the car were our brothers, our sisters and one responsible of the shelter” declared one victim with initial PO through a written declaration, which TOP has accessed to.
The victim of virgin test declared that when they reached there, they got off the car and entered into the prosecution office. Officer from the Public Ministry threw out those who came along with the girls and waited outside. They only allowed those who were listed in the letter.
“We entered into the office, one sister has already responded before us, and they asked us to enter into the waiting room and we waited so long to be investigated. They called our names one by one and once my name was called in, me and my mom entered into the room where the investigation was held and we sat there alone, they were unable to question us, then we got out and waited outside quite long enough. Then Ana Paula Sequeira and Ameta Bano (coordinator of Pradet RAEOA) came to take us to Pradet, but we refused to go there” the victim explains.
“We quarreled with them refusing to go to Pradet, we wanted to go back to our shelter. Ana Paula and Ameta Bano brought one plastic of bread and one bread was shared by two people, after eating the breads they took us back to our shelter.
Friday 21 of June 2020
She continued, on Friday 12 of June 2020, a member of the national police by the name of Nilda do Rosario and Juliana Meni from NGO Alfela and her driver went again to Kutete bringing another letter from Public Ministry to girls in Kutete.
“They told us the letter was for you to respond in the prosecution office, if you wanted your priest to return home soon. You all must go to Public Ministry to provide declaration. Nilda and Juliana told us you all would go there to respond only for one or two hours, then they would bring us back to Kutete, but they lied to us”.
She continued, when reaching the office of Public Ministry of Oe-kussi Ambeno, Nilda do Rosario and Juliana Meni called their names one by one to sign.
“After signing, Ameta Bano called three of us. They wanted us to get into the car of Pradet. But before getting into the car, our sisters asked Ameta Bano where the girls were taken to? Ameta responded that I brought them to rest for a while in Pradet, and would take them back here at 2 pm. Three of us went first to Pradet and there we met two sisters and they escorted us inside the office and we entered inside. They showed us the room and the toilet. After showing us our room, they asked to go in and sleep but we didn’t sleep, they asked us to watch TV, then we watched for a while, all of a sudden, they brought again two sisters. We all were together, Jacinta showed their rooms and toilet, so we could have a nap, while waiting for hours to return to Prosecution office. Around 2 pm we prepared ourselves waiting for Ameta Bano to pick us up going back to Prosecution office. However, no one showed up, and we continued wait until 5 pm”.
Orphans visit the grave of Febriana Bana
“We asked sister Jacinta what about now? We told her we wanted to go back home if they didn’t come, let us just returned home by foot, not a problem, we just wanted to go back to our place because we didn’t feel comfortable staying here in Pradet. Sister Jacinta called Ameta Bano and not long enough Ameta Bano showed up, saying that you all didn’t have to protest against us, otherwise I would call police to come over here. We though she would lie to us. But unexpectedly police came by bringing again our sisters from Kutet.
The victim knew that Nilda do Rosario as a member of the national police and her colleague Ananias Kolo from Pune.
“Others we didn’t recognize them. Nilda do Rosario told us that we would sleep here for three nights as this was ordered by the Prosecutor. We didn’t have much choice, so we slept in the Pradet office for three nights. First night was just fine, as they treated us well. We asked sister Jacinta we wanted to pray at night. So, sister Jacinta gave us a lighter and candle for the pray. Together with us in the pray was sister Yuli, but we were unsure whether she was serious in prating or not”.
She said one of their sisters led the praying.
“We prayed and when the time for each one of us to pray silently within our hearts, sister Yuli felt unwell, so she stood up and walked out from the praying room. We continued our praying till the end. When we finished praying, they distributed rooms for us to sleep. Sister Jacinta provided three rooms for us, one room for three or four people. We were four of us in our room”.
Saturday 13 of June 2020
On Saturday we felt unhappy, we were worried. We were unhappy because they just kept us inside, we were not allowed to go outside the street to do something else. We felt bored, we asked them if we could go outside to play around, but they didn’t allow us to so. They prohibited us not to call our parents to let them know where we were as we knew our parents would worry so much about us. From then on, we didn’t feel secured.
Sunday 14 of June 2020
On Sunday Ana Paula Sequiera brought us toys to calm us down. We tried to play to kill our sadness but we had no desire to play with the toys. We went inside the rooms, locked the door so tightly, we all sang and cried at the same time. In the morning, we had breakfast, but were not full, so we were hungry again even it wasn’t lunch time yet. Sisters Jacinta and Yuli didn’t care of us, they never asked us why we cried. One night we wanted to pray again, but Sisters Jacinta and Yuli locked tightly the door of the prating room. They didn’t want us to pray. Why they did this to us?
Monday 15 of June 2020
We were so happy for it was the time for us to return to our dormitory of Topu Honis Mahata. We waited until midday, none of us had ever expected in a sudden moment one of my friends’ parents came to visit us, we hurried ourselves to meet them, but were chased away by sisters Jacinta and Yuli, and Police Nilda showed up, we looked at her face, we didn’t like her much, as it was her who forced us to stay here, and we were supposed to return home but were not allowed. Nilda told us she personally wanted to free us today going back to Topu Honis, but it was from Prosecutor, Matias Soares, who ordered this and she had to do so as it was her job. However, we continued protest insisting to bring us back home. Nilda told us that Dr. Matias didn’t have time. Nilda invited her friends to go inside. Then they called two colleagues to get into the car, they said nothing to us, we didn’t know where they took to. In less than an hour they brought back our two friends, then they asked sister Erma to go to Public Ministry.
Thursday 18 of June 2020
Initially, we played around outside. Yuli called me inside the room, Yuli and doctor Catarina Anuno asked me to sit on the chair, and I did so. Yuli and doctor Catarina Anuno asked me whether I have slept with a man and I responded no I hadn’t slept with any man, and I continued saying that all men in Topu Honis were not like other men.
After questioning myself, they asked me to take off my pant, but I said to them what for. They responded to me just to it, I also took off my pant as requested by them. They asked to get inside the scabbard. Then they instructed me to sleep on the bed, I did so, they asked me to face my eyes up and I also did so.
“Then doctor Catarina Anuno opened my legs, Yuli used phone to shine. Doctor Catarina Anuno touched my vagina tore it out, Yuli continued shining it using phone. I felt so painful when she tore out my vagina and I shouted louder, doctor Catarina and Yuli asked me to close my eyes".
“Doctor Catarina Anuno tore up my vagina and I felt so painful, I moaned badly, doctor Catarina and Yuli asked me to put a pillow on my mouth to shout louder, so people outside couldn’t hear. Then doctor Catarina continued tore up my vagina, took thread putting it by force into my vagina, I felt so painful, so I cried louder. Then they asked to wake up, get down from the bed, I couldn’t walk properly as it was so painful”.
They instructed me to put on my pant, and I did so, they asked to sit back on the chair and I did so as said, they asked me whether someone in the past has ever touched my vagina, my breast and all my body entirely, but I said no one has ever done so. Then doctor Catarina Anunu and Yuli told me not to tell anyone including my friends and my parents. They said it was a secret, never tell no one. We returned to our dormitory and when walked I felt so painful on my legs, and I felt so hot in my vagina whenever I pee.
