Myanmar expels East Timor diplomat over support of opposition
- Junta says East Timor has been engaging with Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, which views itself as legitimate administration
- East Timor’s charge d’affaires is believed to be the first foreign diplomat ordered to leave Myanmar since the junta’s coup in February 2021
Myanmar’s military-installed government has ordered East Timor’s senior diplomat to leave the country in retaliation for the East Timorese government holding meetings with Myanmar’s main opposition organisation, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
The statement said East Timor has conducted engagements with Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, which views itself as the country’s legitimate administration after the military seized power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
The National Unity Government also serves as an umbrella organisation for opponents of military rule.
The Foreign Ministry said it informed the charge d’affaires of the East Timor Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, on Friday to leave the country no later than September 1.
The charge d’affaires is believed to be the first foreign diplomat expelled from Myanmar since the army takeover.
Many countries have downgraded their relations with Myanmar and left behind the ‘number two’ diplomat in place of ambassadors.
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