BANGKOK: 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 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).
However, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said earlier this month 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.
Linn Thant, an NUG representative based in Prague in the Czech Republic, condemned the junta’s decision and told AFP that there was no justification for the expulsion of the Timor East diplomat.
The whereabouts of the diplomat is currently unclear.
![]()
Myanmar expels top East Timor diplomat
Short Url
https://arab.news/vrhpe
Myanmar expels top East Timor diplomat
- The Southeast Asian nation has been locked in crisis since the military seized power in February 2021
- Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the ‘irresponsible actions’ of East Timor
Australia to ban citizen from returning to country under rarely-used terror laws
- They were briefly freed on Monday before being turned back by Damascus for holding inadequate paperwork
SYDNEY: Australia said on Wednesday it would temporarily ban one of its citizens held in a Syrian camp from returning to the country, under rarely-used powers aimed at preventing terror activity.
Thirty-four Australians in a northern Syrian facility holding families of suspected Daesh militants are expected to return home after their release was conditionally approved by camp authorities.
They were briefly freed on Monday before being turned back by Damascus for holding inadequate paperwork.
Australia has already said it would not provide any assistance to those held in the camp, and is investigating whether any individuals posed a threat to national security.
“I can confirm that one individual in this cohort has been issued a temporary exclusion order, which was made on advice from security agencies,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Wednesday.
Security agencies have not yet advised that other members of the group meet the legal threshold for a similar ban, he added.
Introduced in 2019, the legislation allows for bans of up to two years for Australian citizens over the age of 14 that the government believes are a security risk.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday some members of the cohort, that includes children, had aligned themselves with a “brutal, reactionary ideology and that seeks to undermine and destroy our way of life.”
“It’s unfortunate that children are caught up in this, that’s not their decision, but it’s the decision of their parents or their mother,” he added.
News of the families’ possible return has caused controversy in Australia, where support for the right-wing, anti-immigration One Nation party has surged in recent months.
A poll this week found One Nation’s share of the popular vote at a record high of 26 percent, above the combined support for the traditional center-right coalition currently in opposition.
Thirty-four Australians in a northern Syrian facility holding families of suspected Daesh militants are expected to return home after their release was conditionally approved by camp authorities.
They were briefly freed on Monday before being turned back by Damascus for holding inadequate paperwork.
Australia has already said it would not provide any assistance to those held in the camp, and is investigating whether any individuals posed a threat to national security.
“I can confirm that one individual in this cohort has been issued a temporary exclusion order, which was made on advice from security agencies,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Wednesday.
Security agencies have not yet advised that other members of the group meet the legal threshold for a similar ban, he added.
Introduced in 2019, the legislation allows for bans of up to two years for Australian citizens over the age of 14 that the government believes are a security risk.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday some members of the cohort, that includes children, had aligned themselves with a “brutal, reactionary ideology and that seeks to undermine and destroy our way of life.”
“It’s unfortunate that children are caught up in this, that’s not their decision, but it’s the decision of their parents or their mother,” he added.
News of the families’ possible return has caused controversy in Australia, where support for the right-wing, anti-immigration One Nation party has surged in recent months.
A poll this week found One Nation’s share of the popular vote at a record high of 26 percent, above the combined support for the traditional center-right coalition currently in opposition.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.