East Timor Becomes 11th Member of ASEAN:
East Timor also known as Timor-Leste officially became the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This historic inclusion took place during the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, where the country’s flag was raised alongside those of the other member states. The moment represents both a symbolic and strategic milestone for the young democracy, long striving for regional integration since its independence in 2002.East Timor’s ASEAN membership comes after a 14-year application process, first initiated in the early 2000s. The country’s current President, Jose Ramos-Horta, originally envisioned ASEAN membership as early as the 1970s, during the country’s fight for independence from Portuguese and later Indonesian rule. East Timor was a Portuguese colony for over 300 years, until Portugal’s abrupt withdrawal in 1975. It was then occupied by Indonesia for 24 years in a bloody conflict before finally gaining full independence in 2002.
