Timor-Leste (East Timor) was admitted as the 11th member of ASEAN at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur (Theme: “Inclusivity and Sustainability”).

• The flag was placed with other members; PM Xanana Gusmão and President José Ramos-Horta termed it a historic, long-awaited step after ~14 years as an applicant/observer.
  

About Timor-Leste (East Timor)

• Location: Eastern half of Timor Island + Oecusse exclave (on Indonesian West Timor), plus Atauro & Jaco islands; Maritime SE Asia.
• Capital: Díli.
• Population: ~1.4 million.
• Independence: 2002 (after Portuguese rule, Indonesian occupation 1975–99; UN-led transition 1999–2002).
• Official languages: Tetum and Portuguese (Indonesian & English as working/bridging languages).
• Currency: US Dollar (USD); uses centavo coins domestically.
• Economy: ~$2 bn GDP; petroleum fund (oil & gas—Greater Sunrise prospect), coffee, fisheries; heavy import dependence; youth bulge.
• Memberships: UN (2002); now ASEAN (2025); applicant to WTO (in process).

About ASEAN

• Established: 1967, Bangkok Declaration.
• Founders (5): Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand.
• Later entrants: Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos (1997), Myanmar (1997), Cambodia (1999) → Timor-Leste (11th).
• HQ: Jakarta, Indonesia.
• Motto: “One Vision, One Identity, One Community.”
• Emblem: A bundle of rice stalks (unity & prosperity).
• Pillars/initiatives: ASEAN Community (Political-Security, Economic, Socio-Cultural); AEC (single market/production base); ARF, EAS, RCEP (with partners).
• Chairmanship: Rotates annually among members.
• Current expansion: First since 1999 (Cambodia), marking ASEAN’s second enlargement wave.
• Regional cooperation was further extended with the creation of the ASEAN Plus Three forum in 1997, which included China, South Korea and Japan. 
• And then the East Asia Summit, which began taking place in 2005 and has expanded to include India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the US.
  

Rapid-fire prelims facts

• ASEAN GDP (approx.): ~$3.8 trillion (collective).
• ASEAN Secretariat: Jakarta; SG appointed by ASEAN Foreign Ministers.
• Key docs: Bangkok Declaration (1967), ASEAN Charter (2008).
• Dialogue partners: US, China, India, Japan, EU, Australia, etc.
  

Statement-based MCQ 

Consider the following statements regarding ASEAN:

1. ASEAN was founded in Bangkok in 1967 by five countries and has its Secretariat in Jakarta.
2. The Motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community.”
3. Timor-Leste’s entry is the first expansion of ASEAN since Cambodia joined in 1999.
4. ASEAN’s emblem features rice stalks symbolizing unity and prosperity.
   

Which of the statements given above are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1, 2 and 3 only
C. 1, 3 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: D

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