DILI, Timor-Leste – In a move that reeks of growing insecurity, the Myanmar military junta has ordered the expulsion of Timor-Leste’s Chargé d’Affaires, Mr. Elisio do Rosario de Sousa. While the regime in Naypyidaw attempts to cloak this in the language of “ASEAN principles,” the reality is much simpler: an illegal regime is panicking as the walls of international accountability close in.
The Myth of Legitimacy
The junta acts as if it is a legitimate government, but let us be clear: they are an illegal regime that seized power through a bloody, unconstitutional coup five years ago. They possess no credentials to represent the people of Myanmar in ASEAN or any other international forum.
For half a decade, they have not only ignored but flagrantly violated the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus—a peace plan they themselves signed. Their exclusion from high-level ASEAN summits is not a diplomatic oversight; it is a deliberate recognition by the bloc that this military council is not the government of Myanmar.
Salai Mang Hre Lian, Human Rights Program Manager at the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), emphasizes that this expulsion is a badge of honor for Dili.
“The junta’s decision to expel the Timorese diplomat is a transparent act of panic,” said Salai Mang Hre Lian. “It is the reaction of a regime that knows its time is running out. They fear the legal truth being established in the Dili courts because they have no defense for their crimes in Chin State. We thank Timor-Leste for providing the moral leadership that ASEAN desperately needs—standing up for people instead of shielding a murderous dictatorship.”
Betraying the “People-Centered” Ideal
The ASEAN Charter explicitly aims to build a “people-centered” community. By continuing to claim a seat at the table while slaughtering the very people they claim to represent, the junta is the ultimate violator of this central ASEAN ideal.
The regime’s insistence on “non-interference” is a hollow shield. As Timor-Leste has demonstrated, there is no “internal affair” exception for war crimes. By accepting the criminal complaint filed by CHRO under Universal Jurisdiction, the Timorese judiciary has reminded the world that the rule of law is not subject to the whims of a military council.
A joint team of CHRO and MAP meeting with the President of Timor-Leste (Photo: CHRO)
A Shared History, A Shared Future
For the people of Chin State, the solidarity shown by Timor-Leste—a nation that won its own freedom from a brutal military occupation—is a source of immense hope. While the junta spends its energy deporting diplomats, CHRO and our allies are focused on a different destination: a courtroom where the “rule of the gun” is finally replaced by the rule of law.
“The junta can expel a diplomat, but they cannot deport the truth,” the CHRO concluded. “The legal process in Dili will move forward, and the quest for justice will only grow louder.” – Chinland Guardian
