Myanmar’s Ministry of International Affairs announced on Sunday that the Timorese Chargé d’Affaires had been informed to go away Myanmar earlier than September 1 over the diplomat’s alleged affiliation with Myanmar’s government-in-exile. Timor-Leste’s Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation subsequently condemned the Myanmar army junta’s determination.
In response to the Myanmar overseas ministry’s assertion, the Timorese diplomat was expelled due to the Timor-Leste authorities’s contact and affiliation with Myanmar’s government-in-exile, the Nationwide Unity Authorities (NUG), which the Myanmar junta labels a “terrorist group” pursuant to the nation’s Counter Terrorism Law. Myanmar additionally alleged that Timor-Leste’s conduct violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and hampered bilateral relations.
The Timorese authorities, alternatively, condemned Myanmar’s expulsion order and reiterated that Timor-Leste was adhering to the positions taken by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations for the restoration of democratic order and respect for human rights in Myanmar. Authorities minister Agio Pereira mentioned, “[T]he Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste stays agency in its conviction that solely by dialogue and respect for the desire of the individuals can a peaceable and lasting resolution to the disaster in Myanmar be achieved.”
Myanmar underwent a military coup in February 2021, sparking a wave of worldwide condemnation and sanctions. The coup’s aftermath has reportedly displaced some 1.5 million individuals, inflicting a humanitarian crisis.
