East Timor expels a former Phillipin MP accused of planning the governor's murder
Dili of East Timor said Thursday that he would deport a former Phillipin MP for multiple murders in the Philippines, adding that he is a national security threat and his presence could damage the country’s image before he entered the Southeast Asian National Association.
Former rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. was arrested by immigration authorities in the East Timor capital Dili on Wednesday and will be deported to the Philippines immediately because he did not have a visa and after the Manila foreign ministry canceled his passport.
East Timor did not immediately specify a date for deportation, and Teves spent more than two years in Dili because he tried to seek asylum and had a tense relationship between two Southeast Asian democracies. The Philippines has been calling for East Timor to face trial.
The Manila Justice Department welcomed East Timor's decision on Thursday and said it had designated a team of justice and immigration officials to help repatriate Teves.
Timor-Leste said in a statement that Tevez's presence in the country was “unacceptable” and that his stay for more than two years was a destructive factor in the bilateral relations between the two countries and established a serious precedent for the potential impact on internal security. ”
“The perception that Dimos-Este may be seen as a refuge for individuals fleeing international justice undermines the integrity of our borders and our joint efforts to combat transnational crime,” Timor-Leste said.
“Originally scheduled to be fully joined by Timor-Leste in October this year in October this year, further strengthening the active cooperation between Timor and its regional partners to maintain the responsibility of justice, legitimacy and stability in the region,” East Timor said.
East Timor President José Ramos-Horta told the Associated Press in a September interview in Dili that “under the law, there is no possibility” that Teves can stay in East Timor and that he will likely be sent back to the Philippines after his appeal for asylum.
The Philippine government seeks Teves for the March 2023 killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and several others, including impoverished villagers seeking his medical assistance, who broke into his central Philippines hometown in military disguise and body armor with offensive rifles. At least 17 people were injured in the craze attack captured on security cameras.
Teves denied being involved in the murder, and President Ferdinand Marcos, supported by Degamo, was called “pure politics” at the time.
East Timor, Asia’s youngest country, is joining nine other countries in the Philippines and ASEAN, a regional group that advocates the rule of law and good governance. It currently has an observer status in regional groups.
Teves' initial request for asylum in East Timor was denied, a decision he appealed. Police arrested Teves during a golf driving range game in Dili in March 2024, and it is unclear how he managed to regain his freedom before being detained by immigration authorities on Wednesday.
__
The Associated Press contributed to the report in Jakarta, Indonesia and Jim Gomez of Manila, Philippines.
