Irrawaddy-July 7
Timor-Leste has dismissed Myanmar’s objection to it becoming the 11th member of ASEAN as “inconsequential and irrelevant.” Timor President José Ramos-Horta said his country’s path to full membership of ASEAN has already been secured, according to UCA News. In a letter to ASEAN, Myanmar formally objected to Timor-Leste’s accession to the Southeast Asian regional bloc, accusing Dili of violating the bloc’s core principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations. “Myanmar’s opposition is irrelevant. The formal decision for Timor-Leste to join ASEAN has already been made and is reflected in the final communiqué,” according to Ramos-Horta. The ceremony to mark the nation’s full membership is scheduled for the ASEAN Summit in October this year. Myanmar had submitted an official letter to Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair, asserting that Timor-Leste “does not adhere to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter.” The letter, signed by junta official Han Win Aung, further stated that if Timor-Leste continues its “blatant violations” of this principle, ASEAN must “firmly reject any consideration of granting membership” to the country. But Myanmar, which is under ASEAN sanctions and excluded from high-level meetings since the 2021 military coup, currently holds limited influence within the organization. Ramos-Horta emphasized that the country’s pariah status undermines its capacity to influence major decisions within the bloc. Valentin da Costa, executive director of the Timor-Leste NGO Forum (FONGTIL), also pushed back against Myanmar’s accusations, saying the objection stems from Timor-Leste’s consistent support for democracy and human rights in Myanmar.
“Myanmar’s stance is a reaction to Timor-Leste’s principled solidarity with democratic movements. Both Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and President Ramos-Horta have publicly criticized Myanmar’s junta and supported the National Unity Government (NUG),” da Costa said. Established by elected lawmakers deposed in the 2021 coup, the exiled NUG claims to be the country’s legitimate government, in contrast to the unelected and widely despised military junta. In March 2024, Gusmao met with members of the Myanmar diaspora in Melbourne, Australia, where he reiterated his support for their struggle and urged the junta to respect the 2021 Five-Point Consensus, ASEAN’s roadmap for peace and democratic restoration in Myanmar that has, so far, gone unimplemented. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/timor-leste-hits-back-at-myanmar-juntas-objection-to-asean-membership.html
