Photos: The Growing Pains of Asia’s Newest Country

Fotografia hirak ne’e hasai hosi Ulet Ifansasti, hodi kompleta artigu ida ho titilu: “The Growing Pains of Asia’s Newest Country” mak publika iha midia New York Times (online) edisaun 16 de Fevereiro de 2025, hakerek hosi Sui-Lee Wee (the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times, overseeing coverage of 11 countries in the region).

President José Ramos-Horta is serving his second five-year term. He survived an assassination attempt more than a decade ago, during his first term. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
East Timor was briefly in the global spotlight last year when Pope Francis visited the country. A big cleanup effort preceded his arrival. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
Pope Francis visited Dili in September. Hundreds of thousands were estimated to have turned out to catch a glimpse. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
East Timor is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, a legacy of its Portuguese colonizers and, more recently, the church’s role in supporting the independence movement. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
The pope’s visit was a big moment for East Timor, which is one of the least-visited countries in Asia. Some parts still feel like untouched paradise. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
Chinese engineers were checking water supplies in East Timor even before the president went to China to ask for help with improvements. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
Goats for sale in a dried-up riverbed in Dili in September. The president has asked the Chinese ambassador for help with providing clean water. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, center, has also served as president. He is one of the many heroes of independence who remain in government. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
Experts say that the leaders of East Timor have failed to invest in schools. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
Agostinho Ribeiro makes a living as a fisherman. Most people in East Timor are a part of the informal economy. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
Sandra Correia Lopes, 12, is underweight and falls sick frequently. Child malnourishment is one of East Timor’s big challenges. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
Alda Bisoi Correia collecting firewood. She said independence had not improved her life. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
A mural of Bishop Belo with Pope John Paul II, who visited Dili in 1989. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)
People looking through secondhand clothes at a market in Ermera in September. (Photographs by Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times)