Timor-Leste as ASEAN member-state

It is now the ASEAN 11, not just 10 member-nations.

- Atty. Josephus B. Jimenez

They started as five founding members only on August 8, 1967, with the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand meeting and proclaiming the Bangkok Declaration. Then Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Brunei joined later. And now comes Timor-Leste.I just arrived from Timor-Leste as a part of my ASEAN lecture tour on Comparative ASEAN Labor Laws, and I must say we Filipinos need to learn more about our newest fellow ASEAN member-nation. Timor must also learn more about the 10 other members and assimilate immediately.

As we are going to host the ASEAN annual conference this year, we should welcome citizens of Timor as brothers and sisters in ASEAN.

October 26, 2025 is a landmark date. It was the day when all 10 ASEAN members accepted Timor-Leste as a full member-state of the Association of Southeast Nations during the 4th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Immediately after gaining independence from Indonesia in 2002, Timor-Leste was granted observer status by ASEAN. By the year 2007, all the political parties in that young country united themselves in a strategic decision to seek ASEAN membership. In 2011, Timor-Leste filed its formal application for membership. In 2022, the ASEAN approved in principle its application, subject to complete compliance with all requirements.