Myanmar–Timor-Leste relations
Timor-Leste |
Myanmar |
|---|---|
Myanmar and Timor-Leste established diplomatic relations on 26 September 2006.[1]
History
2021
After the 2021 Myanmar coup d'etat and during the subsequent civil war in Myanmar, relations have significantly deteriorated between the two governments.
2023
In August 2023, the State Administration Council junta expelled the East Timorese ambassador in retaliation for the Timor-Leste government meeting with the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG).[2] In December 2023, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta called for Tatmadaw soldiers to defect and join the resistance, making Timor-Leste the only government to have openly expressed sympathies to anti-junta forces in Myanmar. Officials of the State Administration Council responded with outrage, running anti-Timor-Leste articles in state media referring to Ramos-Horta as a "thoughtless mouthpiece of the NUG". Additionally, "junta-backed nationalists" held a protest in Yangon against Ramos-Horta.[3]
2025
On 2 July 2025, the State Administration Council of Myanmar has officially notified Malaysia, the 2025 ASEAN chair, of its opposition to Timor-Leste joining the bloc in October 2025, citing internal interference.[4] Timor-Leste has reportedly supported the opposing democratic forces in the onging civil war.[5]
2026
After the Chin Human Rights Organisation met Ramos-Horta in Timor-Leste on 14 January 2026, the State Security and Peace Commission junta accused the CHRO of violating the ASEAN Charter. The CHRO intends to sue the junta for war crimes under Timor-Leste's legal jurisdiction.[6] The Foreign Ministry of Myanmar stated that the meeting constitutes as "blatant interference" and filed a criminal complaint against Timor-Leste.[7] Later, on 16 February, Myanmar ordered the expulsion of the Timor-Leste's top representative after the CHRO opened its case against the junta war crimes and crimes against humanity.[8][9]
References
- ^ "Diplomatic Relations Between Timor-Leste and Myanmar as of 26 Sept. 2006". 2006-09-26. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
- ^ "Myanmar expels East Timor's diplomat in retaliation for supporting opposition forces". AP News. 27 August 2023. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023.
- ^ "Myanmar Junta Rages Against E. Timor President After Defection Call". The Irrawaddy. Irrawaddy Publishing Group. 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Siow, Maria (8 July 2025). "Will Myanmar block East Timor's Asean entry? Junta's NUG warning shot tests bloc's unity". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Myanmar opposes Timor Leste's ASEAN membership". world.thaipbs.or.th. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ "တီမောသမ္မတနှင့် တွေ့ဆုံမှုအပေါ် စစ်တပ်၏ တုံ့ပြန်ချက် အောက်တန်းကျဟု ချင်းလူ့အခွင့်အရေးအဖွဲ့ပြော" [Chin Human Rights Group says military's response to meeting with Timorese president is substandard]. Myanmar Now. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Junta Protests Against Timor-Leste President's Meeting with Myanmar Rights Group". The Irrawaddy. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Myanmar expels Timor-Leste's representative over war crimes case". Channel News Asia. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Myanmar expels East Timor's top diplomat over a criminal complaint alleging military abuses". Associated Press. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.