FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM

The military regime has ordered Timor-Leste’s Charge d’Affaires in Yangon to leave Burma by Sept. 1, regime media reported. This is the first expulsion of a foreign diplomat since the 2021 military coup. Other members of the Timor-Leste embassy are also expected to be expelled. 

The regime cited Dili’s meeting with the National Unity Government (NUG) in July. Naypyidaw accused Dili of violating the principles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It has designated the NUG, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and the People’s Defense Force (PDF) as “terrorist” groups under its Counter Terrorism Law.

“Such irresponsible actions of the government of Timor-Leste are not only harming the bilateral diplomatic relations between the two countries but also encouraging the terrorist group to further commit their violations in Myanmar,” stated the regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Timor-Leste responded to its top diplomat’s expulsion from its embassy in Yangon, stating that its actions in meeting with the NUG were in solidarity with the people of Burma. It called on the regime to respect human rights and seek a peaceful and constructive solution to the on-going political crisis. 

“Timor-Leste remains firm in its conviction that only through dialogue and respect for the will of the people can a peaceful and lasting solution to the crisis in Myanmar be achieved,” said Agio Pereira, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in Dili. 

The NUG condemned the regime. “Being an illegal organization that has unlawfully taken control of the country’s power through the use of force, the junta does not hold any authority to make decisions concerning the international diplomatic relations of the State,” stated the NUG Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Human Rights Minister Aung Myo Min expressed his gratitude to Timor-Leste’s government by standing up for “human rights and democracy” in Burma.