ASEAN and Timor-Leste Unite in Triumph in 2025

Timor-Leste is joining ASEAN, an organization that once turned its back on its suffering. The symbolism is powerful. The same region that once stayed silent during its occupation is now welcoming it with open arms. Indonesia, once the occupier, has become the country’s strongest supporter. And even as Australia fades into selective amnesia, Timor-Leste’s ties with its Southeast Asian neighbours are entering a new and hopeful chapter.

From Invasion to Independence

When Portugal abandoned its crumbling empire in 1975, Timor-Leste declared independence under the Fretilin movement. Days later, Indonesia invaded, claiming to prevent a communist foothold in the region. Backed quietly by the United States, Australia, and Western allies, the invasion turned into a 24-year occupation filled with loss and resilience. ASEAN nations, bound by their doctrine of “non-interference,” did little. The people fought in the mountains and endured unimaginable hardship until independence finally arrived in 2002 through courage, not diplomacy.

Australia’s Forgotten Debt

When the Indonesian army withdrew, Australia led the INTERFET peacekeeping mission under the UN flag. Yet this was no moral victory. Canberra had been the first Western country to legitimise Indonesia’s annexation, trading ethics for oil rights in the Timor Sea. Even after independence, Australia’s actions showed self-interest. It pressured Timor-Leste in maritime negotiations and even spied on its leaders to gain leverage in energy talks. Today, while Australia speaks of democracy and partnership, its memory of Timor-Leste’s sacrifice has grown faint, a reflection of how Western priorities often fade when profits no longer align.

Between Portugal, ASEAN, and a New Indonesia

In the early years of nation-building, Portugal and the European Union became Timor-Leste’s main partners in reconstruction. Portuguese remained an official language, a bridge to its cultural roots and historical memory. ASEAN, meanwhile, was viewed as distant, a bloc that once ignored its tragedy. But Indonesia changed. The fall of Suharto brought an era of democracy and reflection. Leaders such as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and especially Joko Widodo sought reconciliation. Jokowi’s Indonesia treats Timor-Leste not as a former foe but as a friend and equal. His personal push for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership reflects a new spirit built on trust, respect, and shared regional identity.

Xanana Gusmão and the Timor-Leste Spirit

Xanana Gusmão, Timor-Leste’s founding father and current prime minister, witnessed this transformation firsthand. A former Portuguese army conscript turned guerrilla commander, he once led resistance forces against Indonesia. Today, he meets with those who were once his adversaries, including Prabowo Subianto, now Indonesia’s president-elect, not with hostility but with mutual respect. Both nations understand that reconciliation is stronger than revenge. While Western donors such as the National Endowment for Democracy once sought to influence narratives of freedom, it is Southeast Asian solidarity that now defines Timor-Leste’s place in the world.

Full Circle: From Pain to Partnership

Timor-Leste’s entry into ASEAN completes a meaningful circle. The nation once invaded by an ASEAN founding member now joins that same community as a friend. It marks not defiance, but healing. The West has moved on, chasing profits and politics, but the region has learned to look within. Indonesia no longer defines Timor-Leste’s history through occupation but through partnership. And Australia, though distant, remains part of a story that proves even small nations can endure, forgive, and rebuild.

Timor-Leste’s flag now flies beside those of its neighbours, not in bitterness, but in peace. It stands as living proof that Southeast Asia’s strength lies not in submission to outside powers, but in its capacity for unity and forgiveness. The journey from invasion to inclusion reflects a new reality. The region’s future depends on collaboration, not control, and that hope, not history, now guides Timor-Leste’s place among its neighbours.