https://www.scmp.com/rss/523767/feed The latest news and top stories on Jose Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate, he advocated for his nation’s freedom during Indonesian occupation, serving as an exiled spokesman and UN representative. He has held roles including Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. His work focuses on human rights, diplomacy, and peacebuilding, contributing to East Timor’s sovereignty. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Myanmar ’s military government ordered East Timor ’s senior diplomat to leave the country after judicial authorities from the fellow Southeast Asian country accepted a criminal complaint against Myanmar’s armed forces, state media said on Monday. The move sharply escalates tensions between the two countries and is a rare step between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which East Timor joined only last year. There was no immediate response from East Timor’s government when... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343753/east-timor-triggers-asean-first-accuses-myanmar-war-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343753/east-timor-triggers-asean-first-accuses-myanmar-war-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 10:46:33 +0000 Daryl Ng Daryl Ng On October 26, East Timor officially acceded to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at the opening of the annual summit, as the 11th member of the regional bloc. Known officially as Timor-Leste, the country gained full independence on May 20, 2002, after a United Nations-supervised referendum in 1999. With a population of 1.4 million and its capital in Dili, East Timor is rich in oil and natural gas reserves located in the Timor Sea. The country also exports coffee, vanilla and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3332149/east-timors-membership-marks-new-chapter-asean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3332149/east-timors-membership-marks-new-chapter-asean?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar An unexpected push to introduce Portuguese as a priority subject in Indonesia’s classrooms has set tongues wagging about President Prabowo Subianto’s educational priorities. The plan, which Prabowo unveiled during Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s visit to Jakarta last month, left educators, lawmakers and community leaders grappling with the realities of what such an ambition might mean. “As a sign of how important Brazil is to us, I have decided that Portuguese will become one of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331103/indonesias-surprise-portuguese-push-diplomatic-ploy-or-educational-priority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331103/indonesias-surprise-portuguese-push-diplomatic-ploy-or-educational-priority?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 04:00:10 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Emotions understandably ran high as East Timor formally became the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on October 26. The region and the world should now support Asia’s newest nation as it pursues long-awaited opportunities for international investment, regional integration and sustainability. Ahead of the accession ceremony in Malaysia, East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta admitted in an exclusive interview with the Post that there is plenty of hard work ahead. More... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3331073/east-timors-journey-asean-membership-can-be-source-inspiration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3331073/east-timors-journey-asean-membership-can-be-source-inspiration?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof When the red, black and yellow flag of East Timor was hoisted alongside the colours of its new Southeast Asian peers inside the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Sunday, several Timorese journalists in the media gallery broke into tears. After more than a decade of waiting since it first applied in 2011, the small half-island nation – Asia’s newest country – on Sunday formally joined Asean as its 11th member. The ceremony at the 47th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hosted... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330360/tears-east-timor-completes-journey-asean-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330360/tears-east-timor-completes-journey-asean-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 08:06:18 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji In East Timor’s presidential palace in the capital Dili, President Jose Ramos-Horta leans back in his chair, radiating a calm demeanour ahead of a momentous occasion in his country’s young history. “We are in the last few hours before joining Asean,” he told This Week in Asia. “Looking back, it has been a 23-year journey since independence was proclaimed … and when I look at where we were then compared to now, it is like heaven and hell.” On Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, East Timor is set to formally... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330133/hell-asean-east-timors-president-talks-growth-china-and-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330133/hell-asean-east-timors-president-talks-growth-china-and-future?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:19:16 +0000 Anand Mathai Anand Mathai As the streets of Dili thrum with anticipation, East Timor is preparing for a diplomatic victory decades in the making. Next weekend, Asia’s youngest nation is set to take its place as the 11th member of Asean – concluding a campaign for acceptance hard won through an unflinching belief in its own destiny. For the country of some 1.4 million people on the eastern half of Timor island, it represents both a declaration of belonging and an affirmation that its future lies squarely within Southeast... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329435/asias-youngest-nation-nears-end-its-years-long-quest-belong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329435/asias-youngest-nation-nears-end-its-years-long-quest-belong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Michael Rose Michael Rose Two decades after East Timor gained its independence, the country is a complicated and qualified success story. Poverty and deep economic problems persist, but it boasts a thriving democracy. Its ascension to the Asean regional bloc is set to come later this month. As this milestone approaches, however, a senior official with oversight over the national intelligence agency has gone public with explosive claims that Timorese institutions are allegedly being bought by organised crime. His concerns... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3328580/aseans-newest-prospective-member-confronts-chinese-triad-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3328580/aseans-newest-prospective-member-confronts-chinese-triad-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 04:00:23 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Chavalit Frederick Tsao’s family fortune dates back to the 1800s in China, but like the tributaries of the winding Yangtze River, along which his great-grandfather built a shipping and logistics empire, another branch of the business has caught the eye of the fourth-generation leader of the Tsao Pao Chee (TPC) group – wellness. Tsao is one of the biggest proponents of the well-being economy, which prioritises human and environmental health over traditional economic growth by shifting business... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325642/why-singapore-shipping-magnate-banking-wellness-shape-new-era-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325642/why-singapore-shipping-magnate-banking-wellness-shape-new-era-business?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2025 02:00:15 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow As East Timor edges closer to joining Asean, Myanmar’s military rulers are seeking to block its entry, in a warning to it – and governments everywhere – against engaging with the war-torn country’s opposition forces. Last week, sources cited by public broadcaster Thai PBS revealed that Myanmar’s military regime had formally notified Malaysia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of its intent to withhold support for East Timor’s membership when the bloc convenes in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317316/will-myanmar-block-east-timors-asean-entry-juntas-nug-warning-shot-tests-blocs-unity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317316/will-myanmar-block-east-timors-asean-entry-juntas-nug-warning-shot-tests-blocs-unity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 04:00:11 +0000