Deportation as Diplomacy: Timor-Leste’s ASEAN Power Move

Mirielle Augustin | Indo Pacific Fellow

Image sourced from Trevar Skillicorn-Chilver via Unsplash.

In late May 2025, Timor-Leste deported Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., a disgraced former Filipino lawmaker facing charges for his alleged role in the 2023 assassination of Governor Roel Degamo. Though the extradition request had lingered for months, Timor-Leste acted decisively after formal confirmation from the Philippines that Teves was a fugitive. On the surface, this looked like a straightforward legal manoeuvre. But in the broader geopolitical landscape, it was something more: a calculated signal that not only underscores Timor-Leste’s readiness for ASEAN but reveals how soft power is increasingly reshaping diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific’s evolving order.

Just months before it is expected to gain full membership into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Timor-Leste used the Teves case to demonstrate how diplomacy, rooted in symbolism and timing, can be leveraged to shape regional perception. This matters beyond national borders. In a region increasingly defined by contested influence and shifting power dynamics, smaller and emerging states are seeking ways to meaningfully participate in regional decision-making without relying on hard power mechanisms.

Timor-Leste’s move constitutes a crucial example of how soft power can serve as both a signalling tool and a means of shaping regional legitimacy. Its associated trust-building, alignment and performance lessons have broader implications for how Indo-Pacific states can project agency in a multilateral system often dominated by larger powers.

From Delay to Decision

Teves had been living in Dili for several months, allegedly entering on a falsified passport. Philippine authorities repeatedly requested his return, warning of bilateral consequences. Still, in lacking an Interpol red notice or formal extradition treaty, Timor-Leste hesitated.

That changed when the government publicly designated Teves a national security threat. In an unusually firm statement, Timorese officials cited the country’s “obligations and commitments” as a future ASEAN member. With those words, the deportation became more than compliance, it became choreography. Timor-Leste was not only resolving a diplomatic dilemma but staging a performance of its regional maturity, one that offers a strategic template for other emerging Indo-Pacific states to build credibility and signal alignment on their own terms.

Reaching ASEAN

Timor-Leste’s ASEAN aspirations are not new. The country formally applied for membership in 2011, but its interest in joining the bloc stretches back to 1974. ASEAN leaders agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as the bloc’s eleventh member in 2022, but progress thereafter has remained slow. A roadmap of integration benchmarks, covering everything from trade alignment to technical capacity and bureaucratic coordination, is still being completed. Nevertheless, full membership is expected by October 2025.

Against this backdrop, every diplomatic act matters. The Teves deportation is not simply a gesture of compliance, it is an act of statecraft. For other Indo-Pacific states navigating integration into regional groupings, this act demonstrates that reputation is often shaped not by capability alone, but by how responsibility is publicly performed.

Soft Power for Small States

For large countries, soft power often manifests as media influence, cultural exports, or global institutions. But for small states like Timor-Leste, diplomatic capital often emerges through moments like this, where careful decisions are used to signal alignment, reliability, and a sense of shared regional norms.

ASEAN is a bloc that values consensus, discretion, and diplomatic tact. Legitimacy is often earned through what might seem like quiet, even procedural, decisions. By acting in consultation with the Philippines and positioning the deportation as a fulfilment of ASEAN-aligned responsibilities, Timor-Leste demonstrated fluency in the region’s diplomatic grammar.

This wasn’t a public relations stunt. Nor was it simply legal housekeeping. It was a performance of readiness: strategically timed, regionally legible, and diplomatically calculated. And in the wider Indo-Pacific context, where smaller nations increasingly seek to assert influence without hard power, such action signals how diplomatic capital can be built through symbolic alignment, not just economic or military clout.

Performing Readiness and Building Trust

In political theatre, timing and tone matter. Deporting Teves now, after months of cautious delay, allowed Timor-Leste to transform a potential liability into a reputational asset. This is especially important given the scepticism from some ASEAN member states about Timor Leste’s institutional readiness.

The deportation also subtly reaffirmed Timor-Leste’s commitment to ASEAN principles: regional cooperation, non-interference, and mutual respect. By aligning with the Philippines’ request while maintaining its own legal and sovereign process, Timor-Leste struck a delicate balance, demonstrating its keen understanding of ASEAN, and offering a glimpse into how future entrants might shape the tone and expectations of regional diplomacy.

Why It Matters

Timor-Leste’s deportation of Teves will not single-handedly secure ASEAN membership, but it strengthens its case. It shows a country not only meeting expectations, but proactively shaping its diplomatic profile.

In a world where regional institutional legitimacy is constantly negotiated, acts like these reinforce shared norms, build trust among neighbours, and allow smaller states to exercise agency in an often-hierarchical system. For ASEAN, a stronger, diplomatically savvy Timor-Leste offers not just symbolic value but strategic benefit, especially as the bloc navigates an increasingly complex Indo-Pacific landscape.

Looking Ahead

As Timor-Leste approaches the final stretch of its ASEAN accession, the question is no longer whether it wants to join, but how it will contribute. If the Teves case is any indication, the country is prepared to speak ASEAN’s language, not just through declarations, but decisions too. In doing so, it shows that soft power is not just about influence. Sometimes, it is about timing the right move at the right moment.

Mirielle Augustin is the Indo Pacific Fellow for Young Australians in International Affairs. She is completing a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)-Humanities and Social Sciences and a Diploma of Languages at the Australian National University. Of East Timorese and Malaysian heritage, she grew up across France, Mauritania, Cameroon, Timor-Leste and Australia, which has shaped her passion for public policy, cultural diplomacy, and multilingual engagement.

Mirielle has studied and worked abroad in France and Indonesia, including programs supported by DFAT’s New Colombo Plan, and the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program in 2024. Through this Fellowship, she hopes to explore how international affairs can better reflect the lived realities of Indigenous and marginalised communities.