Diplomatic Tension : Myanmar Military Junta Expels Timor-Leste Diplomat
Image : Special
SAPNewsTL – Myanmar’s military junta has ordered Timor-Leste’s chargé d’affaires to leave the country by February 20, after Timor-Leste filed a legal case against military leader Min Aung Hlaing over alleged crimes against humanity, heightening diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Hau Khan Sum stated on Sunday that Elisio do Rosario de Sousa, chargé d’affaires of the Timor-Leste Embassy, was summoned on February 13 and instructed to leave Myanmar within seven days.
The minister said this decision follows Timor-Leste President José Manuel Ramos-Horta’s engagement with members of the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), who filed a complaint in Dili, Timor-Leste.
“Judicial authorities in Timor-Leste have appointed a senior prosecutor to examine this complaint, which relates to actions by another ASEAN member state,” reported The Irrawaddy in Myanmar on February 16, 2026.
CHRO’s documentation includes evidence of gang rapes over seven months, massacres of 10 civilians including a journalist, and the killing of a 13-year-old boy. The organization is seeking a formal investigation under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
The military junta accused the Timorese president of supporting a parallel National Unity Government, “interfering” in Myanmar’s internal affairs, considering this “non-constructive” and a violation of ASEAN’s non-interference principles.
After being summoned and informed, the Timor-Leste official was instructed to leave Myanmar under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The junta emphasized that it remains committed to “friendly relations” based on sovereignty and non-interference.
Following the publication of this news by SAPNews, confirmation has not yet been made with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MNEK) representative Bendito Freitas.
Photo: Permanent Secretary of Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs meets Elisio do Rosario de Sousa, chargé d’affaires of the Timor-Leste Embassy, in Naypyitaw on January 16, 2026.
