DILI, East Timor — East Timor on Thursday deported a former Filipino congressman charged with multiple murders in the Philippines, saying that he was a national security threat whose presence could damage the country's image before its entry to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Ex-Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. was arrested in East Timor's capital of Dili on Wednesday by immigration authorities and would immediately be deported to the Philippines for staying without a visa and after his passport was cancelled by Manila's Department of Foreign Affairs, the East Timor government said in a statement.
Teves was seen in handcuffs being escorted by East Timor police officers to an awaiting Philippine air force plane. The plane left Dili on Thursday afternoon.
Teves had been in Dili for more than two years as he tried to seek asylum, straining relations between the two Southeast Asian democracies. The Philippines has been calling on East Timor to send Teves back to face trial.
The Department of Justice in Manila on Thursday welcomed East Timor's decision and said it has designated a team of justice and immigration officials to help repatriate Teves.
East Timor said in a statement that Teves' presence in the country was ''unacceptable'' and his stay for more than two years ''poses a disruptive factor in bilateral relations between the two states and establishes a serious precedent with potential implications for internal security.''
''The perception that Timor-Leste might be viewed as a refuge for individuals fleeing international justice undermines the integrity of our borders and our shared efforts to combat transnational crime,'' East Timor said, using the country's formal name.
''The imminent full accession of Timor-Leste to ASEAN, scheduled for October this year, further reinforces the responsibility of the Timorese state to actively collaborate with its regional partners in upholding justice, legality, and stability in the region,'' according to East Timor.
