Timor Leste, South-East Asia's poorest nation with 1.4 million people and slightly bigger than Qatar, is set to join Asean this weekend. - Unsplash
JAKARTA: Asia's youngest nation Timor Leste is set to achieve a decades-long dream when it becomes the 11th member of Asean this weekend, which analysts say is a win politically although the economic benefits remain to be seen.
Timor Leste, South-East Asia's poorest nation with 1.4 million people and slightly bigger than Qatar, applied to join the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations in 2011 and was granted observer status in 2022.
