Myanmar expels top E Timor diplomat

Myanmar's junta yesterday ordered the expulsion of East Timor's top diplomat in the country over a meeting his government held with a banned shadow administration. The Southeast Asian nation has been locked in crisis since the military seized power in February 2021. The military has designated the shadow administration known as the National Unity Government (NUG) -- dominated by exiled lawmakers -- as a terror organisation. Last month, East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta met with NUG foreign minister Zin Mar Aung in the capital Dili. Yesterday, Myanmar's ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the "irresponsible actions" of East Timor, ordering the country's Charge d'Affaires in Yangon "to leave no later than 1 September 2023".