The President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta said that the military in Myanmar will not win the war against the people as the military can control only 30 percent of the country.

He said in an Al Jazeera interview published on 5 September that the fight was between the national enemies twenty years ago, but today it is between the people and the military.

In response to the question if ASEAN is becoming less relevant to the Myanmar issue, Timorese president said that ASEAN will remain vital, and will eventually be able to stabilise the situation in Myanmar.

The President continued to say that it is not right to blame ASEAN for the failures in dissuading the military to go back to its barracks and to respect the democratic rights of the people of Myanmar, to explore democracy, to free prisoners and stop killing civilians. It is like they cannot blame the UN Security Council for the war in Ukraine and the inability of the UN to resolve the crisis there.

Regarding the previous silence of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in attacks on the Rohingya, the President said that the military was responsible for launching the attacks on the Rohingya, while she had zero power or control over the military as a foreign affairs minister.

He also said his government is also working hard to be able to join ASEAN in 2025.

The Myanmar junta expelled the Timorese Chargé d'Affaires from the country in August after the Timorese had frequent contacts and discussions with the National Unity Government (NUG).

The Timorese government condemned the Myanmar military junta's decision, and reiterated their support to restore democratic order in Myanmar. It also expressed its solidarity with the Myanmar people, and urged the military junta to respect human rights and seek a peaceful and constructive solution to the crisis.