Tiny East Timor, counting down to its independence in a few days, is Asia's poorest country and will need considerable international assistance in the years ahead, the United Nationals said on Monday. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report that East Timor was Asia's poorest nation in terms of financial and human development, with annual per capita GDP of just 478 dollars. Its human development indicators put it among the world's 20 poorest countries, alongside nations such as Rwanda and Angola.