Timor-Leste joins Asean

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations welcomed East Timor as its newest member yesterday, which its prime minister said was a "dream realized" for the tiny nation, while Cambodia and Thailand signed an agreement expanding a ceasefire on their borders with the hope it will lead to a lasting peace.

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"Today, history is made," Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao told the other leaders as the flag of East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, was added to the other 10 on the stage at a formal ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

It was ASEAN's first expansion since the 1990s and was more than a decade in the making.

"For the people of Timor-Leste this is not only a dream realized, but a powerful affirmation of our journey - one marked by resilience, determination and hope," he said.

The ceremony marked the opening of ASEAN's annual summit, followed by two days of high-level engagements with key partners including China, Japan, India, Australia, Russia, South Korea and the US.

Shortly after his arrival Sunday, US President Donald Trump took part as Cambodia and Thailand signed a formal expansion of the ceasefire that he helped broker this summer to end their border conflict.

"There was a lot of killing. And then we got it stopped, very quickly," Trump said before Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the agreement.

The terms of the agreement include Thailand releasing 18 Cambodian soldiers held prisoner and for both sides to begin removing heavy weapons from the border area.