Irrawaddy-Aug 27
Myanmar’s junta on Sunday ordered the expulsion of East Timor’s top diplomat in the country over a meeting his government held with a banned shadow administration. The Southeast 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 terror organization. Last month, East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta met with NUG foreign minister Daw Zin Mar Aung in the capital Dili. On Sunday, Myanmar’s ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “irresponsible actions” of East Timor, ordering the country’s Charge d’Affaires in Yangon “to leave no later than 1 September 2023”. The ministry said in a Facebook post that East Timor was “encouraging the terrorist group to further committing their violations in Myanmar”. East Timor 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”. East Timor is due to become the eleventh member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/myanmar-expels-top-east-timor-diplomat.html
