Latest news with #JoseRamos-Horta
Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Timor-Leste will become a full member of Asean in October
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that under the presidency of Jose Ramos-Horta, Timor-Leste will be accepted into Asean. PHOTO: ANWAR IBRAHIM/FACEBOOK KUALA LUMPUR – Timor-Leste will become Asean's 11th member state, with full membership to be granted at the next regional meeting in Kuala Lumpur later in 2025. Announcing this at a press conference on May 27, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country is this year's Asean chair, said that Timor-Leste will become a full member of the regional grouping at the upcoming Asean meeting scheduled for October 2025 . 'The decision is they will be accepted as full member in the next October session,' said Datuk Seri Anwar, adding that this was still subject to Timor-Leste fulfilling 'one or two' more conditions under the economic pillar. Timor-Leste was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2002, making it Asia's youngest democracy. The resource-rich country of 1.4 million people immediately started the process of accession to Asean, but formally applied for membership only in 2011. During the Asean Summit in Cambodia in 2022, Timor-Leste was admitted in principle as the 11th member of Asean and granted observer status. Timor-Leste occupies the eastern part of the island of Timor, at the far eastern tip of the Indonesian archipelago. The island's western region belongs to Indonesia. Before it became independent from Indonesia on May 20, 2002, Timor-Leste was one of its provinces, known as East Timor. At present, the 10 member states of Asean are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines. A day before the official announcement (May 26), Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta expressed appreciation that the country's application had been accepted. ' (In) 2011, when as president, I signed the formal letter of intention to join Asean , n ot too many in Timor-Leste understood and agreed. Not too many in Asean agreed,' wrote the 75-year-old former independence fighter and Nobel Peace Prize laureate wrote on Facebook on May 26. 'My deep appreciation to all leaders and officials of Asean past and present ,' he said, also congratulating Timorese leaders 'past and present' for their efforts, as well as those who have worked under the leadership of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao over the past two years. 'And now, we must work even harder,' he added. Dili's path to full membership had been delayed due to concerns among existing member states over whether the young nation had the capacity to meet Asean's rigorous commitments—such as hosting high-level meetings and fulfilling bureaucratic responsibilities. To demonstrate its readiness , by 2016 Timor-Leste had established embassies in all Asean member capitals. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Prayers, disbelief in East Timor after Pope Francis death
Locals in Catholic-majority East Timor held prayers after the death of Pope Francis on Monday, while others refused to accept the news of the late pontiff's passing. In capital Dili, Catholic worshippers took a moment to remember the pope, who died aged 88 months after he received a rockstar welcome in the city as part of a marathon four-nation tour. "When I hear and see (the news) on social media, I was... very, very sad because of the loss of a Pope that was known in the world, particularly in East Timor," said 40-year-old Maria at a Catholic church, declining to give her last name. "He was a simple man, a very humble man, a figure that gets close with the common people. We really miss Pope Francis." East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, who hosted Pope Francis, mourned his death but hailed his "very brave" fight for peace and the world's poorest people. Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, the archbishop of Dili, said the Vatican flag would be flown at half mast at his residence, while a mass would be held across the country's churches in the coming days. The Argentine pontiff visited East Timor -- one of the world's poorest countries -- in September on a trip that included Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in between bouts of ill health. He held a mass on the outskirts of Dili that authorities said attracted almost half of the country's 1.3 million people. "I am very shocked and sad to hear this news. I enjoyed seeing so many enthusiastic people who wanted to see the Pope," said student Glenn Bawakana Soares, 22. On that visit the first Latin American pontiff made a pointed call to East Timor's leaders to do more on all forms of abuse, after several high-profile child abuse scandals involving members of the nation's clergy. "We are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people," he said in a speech in Dili. - 'Don't accept' - Recent abuse cases in East Timor include Nobel-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, who the Vatican secretly punished over allegations he sexually abused young children for decades. In another case, defrocked American priest Richard Daschbach was found guilty in 2021 of abusing orphaned, disadvantaged girls and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Pope Francis did not mention a specific case or acknowledge any Vatican responsibility. Meanwhile some Timorese were refusing to accept that the energetic reformer had died, especially on Easter Monday. "There are those who believe it and also think this is a lie. They think this is fake news," student Soares said. "They don't accept reality." Others saw his legacy as one paving a path for future pontiffs to speak out for the most underprivileged in society. "A revolutionary pope, he is the hope of marginalised people but his health did not let him live long enough to defend his work," Ato Lekinawa Costa, chief editor of Timorese news site Neon Metin, told AFP. "The wave of goodbye in his visit last year means forever now, but hopefully next Pope will carry on Pope Francis good work and commitment." str-mrc-jfx/dhw
Int'l Business Times
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Prayers, Disbelief In East Timor After Pope Francis Death
Locals in Catholic-majority East Timor held prayers after the death of Pope Francis on Monday, while others refused to accept the news of the late pontiff's passing. In capital Dili, Catholic worshippers took a moment to remember the pope, who died aged 88 months after he received a rockstar welcome in the city as part of a marathon four-nation tour. "When I hear and see (the news) on social media, I was... very, very sad because of the loss of a Pope that was known in the world, particularly in East Timor," said 40-year-old Maria at a Catholic church, declining to give her last name. "He was a simple man, a very humble man, a figure that gets close with the common people. We really miss Pope Francis." East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, who hosted Pope Francis, mourned his death but hailed his "very brave" fight for peace and the world's poorest people. Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, the archbishop of Dili, said the Vatican flag would be flown at half mast at his residence, while a mass would be held across the country's churches in the coming days. The Argentine pontiff visited East Timor -- one of the world's poorest countries -- in September on a trip that included Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in between bouts of ill health. He held a mass on the outskirts of Dili that authorities said attracted almost half of the country's 1.3 million people. "I am very shocked and sad to hear this news. I enjoyed seeing so many enthusiastic people who wanted to see the Pope," said student Glenn Bawakana Soares, 22. On that visit the first Latin American pontiff made a pointed call to East Timor's leaders to do more on all forms of abuse, after several high-profile child abuse scandals involving members of the nation's clergy. "We are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people," he said in a speech in Dili. Recent abuse cases in East Timor include Nobel-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, who the Vatican secretly punished over allegations he sexually abused young children for decades. In another case, defrocked American priest Richard Daschbach was found guilty in 2021 of abusing orphaned, disadvantaged girls and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Pope Francis did not mention a specific case or acknowledge any Vatican responsibility. Meanwhile some Timorese were refusing to accept that the energetic reformer had died, especially on Easter Monday. "There are those who believe it and also think this is a lie. They think this is fake news," student Soares said. "They don't accept reality." Others saw his legacy as one paving a path for future pontiffs to speak out for the most underprivileged in society. "A revolutionary pope, he is the hope of marginalised people but his health did not let him live long enough to defend his work," Ato Lekinawa Costa, chief editor of Timorese news site Neon Metin, told AFP. "The wave of goodbye in his visit last year means forever now, but hopefully next Pope will carry on Pope Francis good work and commitment."
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Prayers, disbelief in East Timor after Pope Francis death
Locals in Catholic-majority East Timor held prayers after the death of Pope Francis on Monday, while others refused to accept the news of the late pontiff's passing. In capital Dili, Catholic worshippers took a moment to remember the pope, who died aged 88 months after he received a rockstar welcome in the city as part of a marathon four-nation tour. "When I hear and see (the news) on social media, I was... very, very sad because of the loss of a Pope that was known in the world, particularly in East Timor," said 40-year-old Maria at a Catholic church, declining to give her last name. "He was a simple man, a very humble man, a figure that gets close with the common people. We really miss Pope Francis." East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, who hosted Pope Francis, mourned his death but hailed his "very brave" fight for peace and the world's poorest people. Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, the archbishop of Dili, said the Vatican flag would be flown at half mast at his residence, while a mass would be held across the country's churches in the coming days. The Argentine pontiff visited East Timor -- one of the world's poorest countries -- in September on a trip that included Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in between bouts of ill health. He held a mass on the outskirts of Dili that authorities said attracted almost half of the country's 1.3 million people. "I am very shocked and sad to hear this news. I enjoyed seeing so many enthusiastic people who wanted to see the Pope," said student Glenn Bawakana Soares, 22. On that visit the first Latin American pontiff made a pointed call to East Timor's leaders to do more on all forms of abuse, after several high-profile child abuse scandals involving members of the nation's clergy. "We are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people," he said in a speech in Dili. - 'Don't accept' - Recent abuse cases in East Timor include Nobel-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, who the Vatican secretly punished over allegations he sexually abused young children for decades. In another case, defrocked American priest Richard Daschbach was found guilty in 2021 of abusing orphaned, disadvantaged girls and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Pope Francis did not mention a specific case or acknowledge any Vatican responsibility. Meanwhile some Timorese were refusing to accept that the energetic reformer had died, especially on Easter Monday. "There are those who believe it and also think this is a lie. They think this is fake news," student Soares said. "They don't accept reality." Others saw his legacy as one paving a path for future pontiffs to speak out for the most underprivileged in society. "A revolutionary pope, he is the hope of marginalised people but his health did not let him live long enough to defend his work," Ato Lekinawa Costa, chief editor of Timorese news site Neon Metin, told AFP. "The wave of goodbye in his visit last year means forever now, but hopefully next Pope will carry on Pope Francis good work and commitment." str-mrc-jfx/dhw
South China Morning Post
05-02-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Southeast Asia's poorest nation ‘holding off' Chinese interest in huge gas field
Published: 12:49pm, 5 Feb 2025 East Timor would prefer to work with Australia and partners Woodside Energy and Japan 's Osaka Gas over Chinese firms that have expressed interest in developing the stalled Greater Sunrise natural gas field, its president said. The comments by President Jose Ramos-Horta mark the first time he has publicly expressed a preference to develop the field with Australia and existing partners since he suggested doing so with new ones such as China and Kuwait last year. The prospect of developing Greater Sunrise, which has 5.1 trillion cubic feet (144.4 billion cubic metres) of gas reserves, with new partners had raised concerns in Australia about growing Chinese power and influence in the Pacific region. Ramos-Horta said East Timor had been stalling approaches from Chinese companies including state-owned Sinopec as well as Kuwaiti firms to develop the field, as it is committed to its Australian partners. 'If anything, it is our side that has been holding off,' Ramos-Horta said in an interview on Sunday during a commercial flight from Dili to Indonesia 's Bali. An aerial view of East Timor's capital, Dili. Southeast Asia's poorest nation, also known as Timor-Leste, gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. Photo: Shutterstock State-owned Timor Gap owns a 56.6 per cent stake in the field located about 140km (87 miles) south of East Timor, while Australia's Woodside owns 33.4 per cent and Osaka Gas holds 10 per cent.
