Timor-Leste Joins ASEAN
Asia's youngest country, Timor-Leste, has joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) after a long-awaited accession.
As the 11th member of the regional grouping, Timor-Leste is ready to work with other member countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore.
Asia's youngest country and Asean's latest member might be small but it's ready to get to work.
According to President José Ramos-Horta, the real hard work begins now, after decades of agitation for accession since the 1970s.
The confirmation of Timor-Leste's accession comes at the start of ASEAN's 47th summit in Kuala Lumpur, which may be overshadowed by Myanmar's civil war and tensions between Thailand and Cambodia.
Author's summary: Timor-Leste joins ASEAN as 11th member.