AMBASSADOR: TIMOR-LESTE A LAUNCHPAD TO INDONESIA, NORTHERN AUSTRALIA MARKETS FOR MALAYSIA
By V.Sankara
DILI (TIMOR-LESTE), Sept 16 (Bernama) -- Timor-Leste’s position as a “launchpad” to markets in Indonesia and northern Australia makes it an attractive destination for Malaysian investors, training institutions and media organisations, said Malaysian ambassador to Timor-Leste Datuk Amarjit Singh.
He said investment opportunities are already open, with the government prioritising highways, roads and petrochemical facilities on the country’s southern coast.
“Malaysians can start now by identifying what value they can add to Timor-Leste’s development plans,” he told Bernama TV’s The Nation: Diplomatic Dispatch programme, hosted by Gerard Ratnam at the Malaysian Embassy here today. The session will be broadcast soon in conjunction with the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur next month.
Amarjit said Malaysia’s civil service training institutions and private sector players could also support public sector reform and English language training, both highly sought after in Timor-Leste.
On trade, he noted that Malaysian products are widely available in the capital, Dili. “Trade was valued at RM85 million last year, compared with RM100 million the year before. With Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s upcoming visit, I foresee stronger momentum for two-way trade,” he said.
The envoy also urged Bernama and Timor-Leste’s news agency Tatoli to explore cooperation through staff exchanges and training. “Stationing correspondents in both countries and bringing in experienced journalists to train on the job is one of the fastest ways forward,” he added.
During a briefing session by the ambassador yesterday, the Bernama delegation viewed the embassy-produced documentary “Tabah di Timor: The Untold Story of Malaysians in Timor-Leste.” The 18-minute film, available on YouTube, highlights the resilience and contributions of Malaysians living in the country.
Amarjit said Anwar’s two-day visit to Timor-Leste is expected to give a major boost to bilateral ties. “For over two decades, there has not been a high-level visit except last year when Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi came. This visit showed Malaysia’s strong support for Timor-Leste,” he added.
He noted that Anwar’s presence also carries weight as Malaysia chairs ASEAN this year. “We conceived the idea of Timor-Leste’s membership. We are activating and operationalising strategies, and we are getting there,” he said. Timor-Leste applied to join ASEAN in 2011.
At the 46th ASEAN Summit, leaders agreed to admit the country as the bloc’s 11th member by the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in October 2025.
Malaysia has supported Timor-Leste through capacity-building programmes, including three rounds of special attachments with Wisma Putra this year, and the establishment of the Timor-Leste Unit at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. Malaysia was the first ASEAN country to open a liaison office in Dili in 2001 and established its embassy on May 19, 2002, on the eve of Timor-Leste’s independence.
Trade between the two countries reached RM85.68 million in 2024, with Malaysia mainly exporting goods.
Timor-Leste’s economy is also looking to the Greater Sunrise gas fields, which hold an estimated 5.1 trillion cubic feet of gas and 226 million barrels of condensate.
As of May 2025, a total of 1,005 Timorese officials had been trained under the Malaysia Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP). Nine Timorese students have also received MTCP scholarships for postgraduate studies in Malaysia since 2003.
The Bernama delegation is on an eight-day mission to Timor-Leste, led by acting deputy editor-in-chief (news services) Mohd Shukri Ishak, as the agency is the official media and coordinator of the International Media Centre for ASEAN Summit coverage.
-- BERNAMA
