The permanent secretary of the junta’s Foreign Ministry summons Timor-Leste’s chargé d’affaires to object to what it said was Dili’s interference in Myanmar’s internal affairs by engaging with anti-regime groups, in Naypyitaw on January 16, 2026. (Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
On February 15, Myanmar’s junta government announced the expulsion of Timor Leste’s top representative in the country, after Dili opened a legal case against Naypyitaw on suspicions of war crimes based on universal jurisdiction. The junta government stated that Timor-Leste’s charge d’affaires had been summoned on February 13 and given a week to leave Myanmar.
This represents a rare moment of spate between ASEAN members as Naypyitaw accused Dili of violating the bloc’s non-interference principle. To note, the junta previously expelled Timor-Leste’s top diplomat in August 2023 after Dili officials held a meeting with Myanmar’s opposition groups.
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