East Timor Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, at his inauguration as premier last month, says the emerging country has applied for Asean membership. (Reuters photo)DILI: East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said Thursday his country is "doing our best" to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but Asean members Myanmar and Singapore are still withholding their support. East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, declared its independence in 1975 but was invaded and annexed by Indonesia later that year. On relations with Japan, Alkatiri thanked it for its contributions to peace-building in East Timor over the years and sought further assistance in the field of human resource development. In particular, he expressed hopes that Japan will give East Timorese people more opportunities to receive education in Japan, while also contributing to vocational training in East Timor.

Source: Bangkok Post October 26, 2017 18:22 UTC