Myanmar Expels East Timor Diplomat Over War Crime Investigations

Myanmar has ordered a senior East Timor (Timor-Leste) diplomat to leave the country following a criminal complaint by the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) against the Myanmar military. The move significantly increases tensions between the two countries and is unusual among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, which East Timor recently joined. The Myanmar Foreign Ministry announced that Elizio do Rosario de Sousa, the acting East Timor ambassador in Yangon, must leave the country by February 20. The CHRO, representing ethnic minorities in Chin State, stated that East Timor's judicial authorities have opened an investigation into Myanmar's military leadership, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The investigation includes evidence of mass rape, mass killings of 10 people, including journalists and local Christian religious leaders, and aerial attacks on hospitals and religious sites.