Agence France Presse -- English

February 20, 2006 Monday 9:24 AM GMT

Dili's stray pigs must go: East Timor's FM

DILI, Feb 20 2006

Stray pigs roaming free in East Timor's capital are a disgrace and must be dealt with before they affect foreign investment, Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta said Monday.

"I have never found another place in this world, especially beaches, crowded by pigs that roam freely and foul public spaces like the beaches" in Dili, Horta told a press conference on a new hotel investment here.

If nothing was done to rid the coastal capital of the beasts, "it could possibly discourage interest of enterpreneurs to invest in East Timor," Horta said as he called on the city's mayor to take action.

"Dili is a capital. Dili is a barometer of the economy of Timor Leste because about 80 percent of economic activity takes place here," the minister said.

East Timor became the world's youngest nation in 2002 and is one of Asia's poorest countries.

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