Myanmar expels top Timor-Leste diplomat
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The Embassy of Timor-Leste in Yangon. Myanmar's junta ordered on Sunday the expulsion of Timor-Leste's top diplomat.
PHOTO: AFP
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Bangkok - Myanmar’s junta on Sunday ordered the expulsion of Timor-Leste’s top diplomat in the country over a meeting that his government held with a banned shadow administration.
The South-east Asian nation has been locked in crisis since the military seized power in February 2021, ending a brief experiment with democracy and sparking violent clashes.
The military has designated the shadow administration known as the National Unity Government (NUG) – dominated by exiled lawmakers working overseas to overturn the coup – as a terrorist organisation.
In July, Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta met NUG foreign minister Zin Mar Aung in the capital Dili.
On Sunday, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “irresponsible actions” of Timor-Leste, ordering the country’s charge d’affaires in Yangon “to leave no later than Sept 1, 2023”.
The ministry said in a Facebook post that Timor-Leste was “encouraging the terrorist group to further commit its violations in Myanmar”.
Timor-Leste condemned the expulsion order, reiterating in a statement “the importance of supporting all efforts for the return of democratic order in Myanmar”.
Dili also urged the junta to “respect human rights and seek a peaceful and constructive solution to the crisis”.
Timor-Leste is due to become the 11th member of Asean.
However, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said earlier in August that the young democracy could reconsider its bid to join the Asean should the bloc fail to persuade Myanmar’s junta to end the conflict.
The grouping has made little progress since the coup in 2021, with the army largely ignoring a five-point deal aimed at ending the violence.
Asean has also been divided over how to engage with Myanmar’s military.
While the junta has been banned from high-level summits, Asean member Thailand has hosted informal talks with Myanmar’s foreign minister.
Mr Linn Thant, an NUG representative based in the Czech Republic’s capital Prague, condemned the junta’s decision and told AFP that there was no justification for the expulsion of the Timor-Leste diplomat.
It is unclear where the diplomat is now. AFP
