The Persian Gulf and its strategic ‘Strait of Hormuz’ is one of the world’s most important strategic regions, and Iran is the main provider of its security.
 
“It is said that nowhere is more important than the Persian Gulf in the continuation of growth of the global
economy and international stability. Why? Because it contains 63% of the world oil reserves; provides more than41% of the world’s oil consumption; contains 30% of global gas reserves and the daily passing of 15 to 17 million oil barrels through the Strait of Hormuz.
 
“Backed by more than 7,000 years of written history, Iran is 10th in the world in terms of tourism attractions, fifth in ecotourism and 23 sights of Iran have so far been inscribed by UNESCO as the world heritage. With all these Iran being known as the cradle of civilization.
 
“With 24 million of young high educated and well qualified human resources, Iran has been ranked sixth in the world for Nano Technology Articles, the producer of the first Nano-organic iron chelate fertilizer in the world and producer of Nano fibers with new morphologies via the synthesis of functional aureole Nano fibers.

Amazing journey from victim of apartheid to Ambassador of ‘Rainbow Nation’
Words MAXMILIAN WECHSLER​

By Maxmilian Wechsler
Last month The BigChilli published an article on the growing influence of women in the Bangkok diplomatic corps. Not surprisingly, the big majority of ambassadors and other diplomats representing their nations in the Land of Smiles are still men, and we are giving them equal time in this month’s edition. Following is a list of the male ambassadors and chargé d’affaires overseeing their countries’ embassies in Bangkok as of September 26, according to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Currently more than 50 women serve as head of mission under the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. So it’s really no surprise that Thailand is probably hosting more female ambassadors than ever before, and there are no less than 26 women in charge of their country’s diplomatic interests in Thailand.
 
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), 14 women are currently residing in Thailand as ambassadors for their respective countries. As of this writing, ten more women are credited as either nonresident ambassadors or non-resident high commissioners for their countries’ missions to Thailand, although the exact number tends to change fairly often.
 
I have met all 14 ambassadors now residing in Bangkok at national day receptions or other functions, and I can say that without exception they are hard-working and highly capable  diplomats. The Dean of the Bangkok diplomatic corps is presently the Singaporean ambassador, Her Excellency Mrs Chua Siew San. The MFA website gives the date she commenced her post in Bangkok as March 23, 2012. There are 78 embassies in Bangkok, employing close to 1,300 diplomats, officials and military officers who are registered with the MFA. More than 350 of these are women, holding positions including minister and deputy head of mission, first secretary and deputy head of mission, minister-counselor, defence attaché, deputy defence attaché, counselor, first, second or third secretary, attaché, assistant attaché, consul and vice-consul. About 100 women are attached to the US embassy, which is the biggest mission in Thailand; the second biggest is mainland China with about 30 women.
 
Around 700 spouses of diplomats and officials, mostly women, assigned to embassies in Bangkok, are also registered with the MFA. A great many of these are anything but stay-at-home wives and in fact play integral roles in their respective countries’ missions to Thailand.
 
There could be more women replacing at least 14 ambassadors, including one woman, who are at the end of their assignments here and either already gone or departing soon. The list includes the ambassadors of Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Luxembourg, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States.
 
Out of 15 consulate-general offices representing 13 countries in Thailand, only the US Consulate-General in Chiang Mai has a woman in charge. In all, the 15 consulates employ close to 100 people, and nearly a third are women.
 
Among the 115 consulates representing 83 countries headed by an honorary consul (20 countries have more than one consulate here), 22 have placed women in charge, most of them Thai nationals. Cities hosting consulates in Thailand are Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Khon Kaen, Phetchaburi, Phuket, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Rayong, Songkhla and Surat Thani.
​

​HER Excellency Mrs Evren Dağdelen Akgün took up the post of Turkish Ambassador to Thailand in February last year and has quickly won a reputation for being one the most active and interesting members of the Bangkok diplomatic corps.
Sharp, vibrant and dedicated to her country, the ambassador answered all questions, including the sort that tends to make many diplomats uncomfortable. During an interview at the ambassador’s Bangkok residence it was a pleasant surprise to meet and speak with His Excellency Mehmet Suat Akgün, Turkish Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, who was visiting his wife.

​“Official relations between Turkey and Thailand began in 1958, the same year our embassy opened. We are now celebrating our 60th year and a series of events to mark the anniversary will be organized.
“To this end, we will soon be signing a declaration of intent between our two culture ministries. We are planning a lot of activities that will be starting in a couple of months. Among these activities are a musical presentation from Turkey in December, as well as film and food festivals, children’s puppet and art shows, an archeology seminar and so on.
 
“Besides vibrant bilateral relations, Thailand and Turkey also cooperate in a number of multilateral platforms, especially UN related. ASEAN is now a big focus for us, and we entered into a sectoral dialogue partnership last year. We are very thankful that Thailand supported us in this respect. We have a special relationship with ASEAN and we will be doing a lot of projects with ASEAN countries. When Thailand takes over the chairmanship of ASEAN next year, we will have even more contacts with Thailand also in this context.
 
“The trade volume between our two countries is about US$2.1 billion both ways. We are importing from Thailand products like diesel engines and parts, fibers and sun panels. We export pipes, wheat, nylon fibers, diesel engines and parts. We export and also import car parts and chemicals. The trade balance is in Thailand’s favor, but actually we have recorded a big increase in exports in recent years. We are in the process of negotiating a free trade agreement with Thailand and we’re hopeful this will help increase trade both ways.

​THE ambassador said she finds a lot of similarities between Thailand and Turkey and between Thais and Turks. “The dynamism in this part of the world is remarkable and there is a similar dynamism in Turkey. We have taken a tremendous leap forward, especially in the last 15-16 years. Our GDP is now worth US$850 billion. Our economy ranks 17th in the world and 6th in Europe.
 
“The population is about 80 million people, half of them under the age of 31. It is a very young, vibrant and well-educated society. We are growing really fast, and we are attracting significant FDI and a lot of international visitors for purposes other than tourism: Turkey is a magnet for people seeking quality health care and education. A lot of university students from around the world are coming to Turkey.
 
“Our economic development allows us to go out into the world and make our own contribution. Turkey today is providing official development and humanitarian aid to other countries in the amount of over US$8 billion. This made us the largest donor in the World in 2017.
 
“The development of Turkey has been quite phenomenal. Our economic capability has grown tremendously and we reported 7.4% growth last year. On average we’ve had around 5-6% growth for many years. We have been using this economic development to make big investments both in Turkey and our neighboring environment. We are in the middle of a region with a population of 1.6 billion people. I am observing intently the dynamic projects that Thailand is undertaking in terms of regional connectivity and we are doing the same thing.
 
“We are carrying out projects for the enhanced connectivity of Central Asia such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipelines and Baku- Tbilisi-Kars railway line.
 
“We are aiming to create a synergy between our Trans- Caspian East-West Middle Corridor Initiative (Middle Corridor) and the Belt and Road initiative. Edirne-Kars High Speed Railway is a strategic project for Asia and Europe. It will constitute an integral part of the Euro-Asia Transport Corridors, connecting with the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.
 
“It is a crucial component of the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor. It plays an indispensable role in reviving the Modern Silk Road, facilitates uninterrupted connection between Asia and Europe. Edirne-Kars High Speed Train will be of vital importance in completing the missing links along the Middle Corridor. Marmaray, inaugurated in 2013, provides uninterrupted railway connection between Asia and Europe traversing the Bosphorus.
 
“In 2016, we opened the undersea tunnel called the “Eurasia Tunnel.” It is the first two-level undersea road tunnel in the world. The impressive civil engineering project significantly improves commuting times for citizens and businesses in Istanbul and allows vehicles to cross between Europe and Asia under the Bosphorus Strait. The 14.5 km tunnel connects the European side and the Asian sides with 5.4 km of the route under the Bosphorus.”
  
The Ambassador noted that “under the Middle Corridor initiative, we are pleased to note that the Baku- Tbilisi-Kars railway has become operational as of October 30, 2017. This new connection will greatly facilitate the connection between Beijing and London via Istanbul.
 
“We are also nearing completion of one of the largest airports in the world. Istanbul New Airport will open on October 29, our Republic Day. It will be 76 million sqm in area, four times as big as the airports of Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Beijing, with a starting capacity of 90 million passengers per year which will be brought up to 200 million.
 
“The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline just became operational. It forms the most important link in the southern gas corridor from the Caspian Sea which provides natural gas to Europe. So we are also contributing to the energy security of Europe. The Trans- Anatolian section of the corridor will carry six billion cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey and 10 billion to Europe. This is a very important link. While we are working on megaprojects like these, we are also striving to extend the commercial and economic benefits they bring to the people of Turkey and the region.”

​“Our own economic development has allowed us to turn around and help others. Our foreign policy is enterprising and humanitarian,” said the ambassador, who pointed to Turkey’s neighbor to the south. “We have been hosting about 3.5 million Syrians for the past seven years.
 
“Consider, in Europe some governments faced failure because they have tried to take in far fewer people who had been forcibly displaced. Taking in 3.5 million Syrians and giving them education, health and various social services is a big undertaking. The last figure I have is that we’ve spent more than US$31 billion on care for the Syrian refugees. Only less than 7% of them are in camps.
 
“We have now special regulations in force that allows them to work. They can work as those under temporary protection. It has been a successful social experience because Turkish people have been very welcoming to these people after seeing how their country has been torn apart and that they need to be helped. Helping those in need is a policy that is backed by our people.”
 
When asked about relations between Turkey and other neighbours, the ambassador said: “Enhancing political dialogue and cooperation with neighbours and the countries in our wider region is a priority. So, we have established High Level Strategic/Cooperation Council mechanisms with 23 countries, increasing our bilateral trade volume by up to six or seven-fold.”

“The crisis in Syria is a big problem for Turkey and the region. It also brings political instability right to our border. The human and humanitarian cost is tremendous as well. And that political instability provides a fertile ground for terrorist groups like DAESH.
 
“Successfully concluding the Operation Euphrates Shield last year, we cleared our borders with Syria from DAESH and established a safe haven free of terror, enabling the displaced Syrians to return. We are currently fighting a number of terrorist organizations that present risk and threat to our national security, in addition to DAESH, also the PKK, PYD and YPG. Our counter-terrorism operations are carried out with zero civilian casualty; and on the basis of international law and in accordance with our right to self defence.
 
“Our resolve to fight against these terrorist organizations is firm. This is the understanding behind our full support to all international efforts to this end since day one.
 
“You need to be a strong country both economically and politically in order to carry out effective counter-terrorism operations. We are also calling upon our friends to display solidarity with us for our fight against PYD/YPG.
 
“We are also faced with the group, the Fettullah Organization (FETÖ). As you may know there was a terrorist coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016. It was hatched by this organization, which is like a cult. It has concealed itself in the middle of Turkish society under the banner of a religious leader called Fethullah Gülen who professes to be an Imam of the world.
 
“His ultimate aim seems to be, according to what he preaches, the leader of a caliphate stretching around the world. He has created a big cult-like enterprise where he has set up media houses to shape public opinion, schools inside and outside Turkey – so it is almost 750 schools worldwide. In some places their schools are being closed down or put under state control.
 
“His radical cult calls itself a charitable organization, but is involved in money laundering, financial crimes, its members who on the surface may appear to be just like you or me, are consumed with working toward achieving their leader’s nefarious ends. There is no doubt that FETÖ wanted to take over the Turkish state.
 
“They might be teachers in a school in a small village in Africa or they might be teachers in Asia. But FETÖ’s goal has been to obtain finances and influence in order to infiltrate the Turkish government and sometimes the governments of the countries where they are based. They are using charitable ideas to reach people’s minds, to indoctrinate and recruit.
“They bombed our Parliament and planned to assassinate our President and Prime Minister on July 15, 2016. Bombs were falling in my neighborhood in Ankara one Friday night. We had just come back home from work and started to eat dinner, hoping for a nice weekend, and then everything changed.
 
“All of a sudden jets started to fly really low. It was like they would smash against our apartment. I went to the window and saw four jets flying low over Ankara. They took over TV stations and they shot at the people and officers who tried to stop them. They bombed the intelligence and police headquarters in the middle of Ankara.
 
“These terrorists had been concealing their people in the military and in bureaucratic organizations, waiting for the right moment to launch a coup to take over the Turkish state.
 
“That night they killed 251 people, injured more than 2000, bombed our parliament, which is very close to my home in Ankara. They were dropping bombs from planes and shooting from helicopters at people on the streets both in Istanbul and Ankara. The chief of general staff of the Turkish armed forces was kidnapped on that night.
 
“To be clear, it wasn’t the Turkish army that staged the terrorist coup two years ago. It was a group within the army that was working for Gülen. He was steadily infiltrating his men into important positions in Turkey. Lower ranking officers – Gülen disciples, together with FETÖ affiliated civilians were running the operation, this terrorist attack. Without hesitating a second, our people gave their lives standing against the plotters on July 15th and thwarted a very sinister plan. We now mark July 15th as Democracy and National Unity Day.
 
“We are very protective of our democracy and are determined to fight FETÖ with what it despises most, democracy, rule of law and morality. We are now bringing Gülen’s group to justice for their crimes. Hundreds of court cases bring to surface the dark underbelly of this organization. Investigations into its structures are under way in many countries, its global crime apparatus is shrinking.” 

​“Despite the July 15, 2016 events we continue to sustain a remarkably high growth-rate. The stability, togetherness and unity of the country are all strong. We have tremendous social and economic power that we can rely on. With a population of 80 million and a large work force, we are a big and vibrant market. The purchasing power parity – GNP per capita – is almost US$29,000. The investment climate in Turkey is very modern and liberal and so are our labor laws. As I have mentioned, the infrastructure in Turkey is also very modern and technologically advanced.
 
“Although Turkey went through some internal and external challenges, it is a fast developing country which is negotiating membership in the EU - its strategic foreign policy objective; is a founding member of OECD, Council of Europe, member of NATO, OIC, strategic partner to African Union, G-20 member, a key partner in security and energy issues in its region and beyond. A country whose production used to be agriculture-driven, Turkey is today an industrial producer, exporting 72% of its automotive productions, its army today using defense industry products made domestically, including frigates, attack helicopters, UAVs which are also exported.
“My country has a very rich culture and many-layered history that predates Stonehenge. The world’s first coin was minted in Anatolia. The world’s first written peace treaty was made between the Egyptians and Hittites of Anatolia at Kadesh. Turkey is home to the well-known War of Troy, as well as to two of the seven wonders and two of the three libraries of antiquity (Ephesos and Pergamon).
 
“From the historical Blue Mosque or the Ottoman Topkapı Palace to the contemporary project of the first three-level subsea tunnel in the world to connect the two sides of Istanbul, Turkey is a land where cutting edge modernity meets the beauty of the traditional, and I want to take this opportunity to invite all our Thai friends to come and visit my country of marvels.”

AS Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the European Union to the Kingdom of Thailand, Pirkka Tapiola’s talent for languages comes in handy. Besides his native Finnish, Ambassador Tapiola’s English is near flawless and he’s fluent in French, Russian, Ukrainian and Swedish. He has a good working level command of the German language and basic skills in Romanian, Spanish, Latvian and spoken Thai.

“I am not sure if I actually have a talent for languages or it just comes with the job,” said the ambassador modestly, ensconced in his offce at the Delegation of the European Union at the Athenee Tower on Wireless Road.

In addition to enviable linguistic abilities, he also boasts impressive diplomatic credentials including a lengthy stint as senior adviser to former EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana.

“Ambassadorial terms in the European Union are generally fxed at four years,” said Mr Tapiola. “I will serve here until August 2021. I am accredited only to Thailand even if the Delegation has some regional support function embedded into it. I would not have the time to focus on any other country. The EU is a global player. Here, it means that we have fully-fledged ambassadors also in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Lao PDR.

“There are about 140 EU Delegations around the world serving as the Union’s ‘embassies’. The EU institutions, including the European Commission and the European External Action Service – EEAS (the EU foreign service) are located in Brussels. The EU foreign policy has become much stronger since 2009 when the Lisbon treaty came into force.

“The treaty established the EEAS, the current position of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission and transformed European Commission Delegations to EU delegations which represent the Union politically and ensure the local Presidency of the European Union. EU delegations fulfil a dual function in host countries. The Ambassador represents the EU on matters of foreign and security policy common to the 28 Member States. At the same time, he or she also represents the European Commission, which is the executive arm of the EU. So, I represent the EU nations collectively and our executive branch in the effort to build a strong and productive Thailand- EU relationship. There is a division of labour among my ambassadorial colleagues on which matters are for the EU – the Union as whole and which matters concern individual member states.”

Asked about the types of instruction received from Brussels, Ambassador Tapiola noted: “Most instructions are sort of generic to EU foreign policy. Once our decision making system has defined the policy, you function within it. One has room to maneuver within the policy. We have monthly meetings at an ambassadorial level chaired by me and our political and commercial counselors meet, chaired by my colleagues at the Delegation. Member States promote their own commercial interests, but trade policy negotiations are all done at EU level. Trade is one of the EU’s supra-national competencies. My job entails a lot of work and I can tell you, you don’t get too many holidays when you are an EU Ambassador.
 
“Our delegation in Bangkok is in a very nice building and a very good location. We are happy with our services and surroundings. We have close to 100 EU staff, including 50 locals. They are all dedicated. We also have here a regional hub on matters of humanitarian affairs which works sort of independently but is co-located with us.”

“I am looking forward to strengthening the EU-Thailand relationship in all aspects including political partnership, trade cooperation, environment and climate change, democracy, good governance, human rights and cultural diplomacy. We focus on regional cooperation to address global challenges. Thailand plays an important strategic role in ASEAN and Asia as a whole and the EU and Thailand have had a close and strong relationship for almost 40 years.

“Of course, Thailand’s relationship with Europe goes back much further. Thailand and Portugal, which is an EU member state, are celebrating 500 years of relations. Thailand had an emissary at the court of Louis XIV of France. As for current relations between Thailand and EU, we had a period which was complex after the military takeover in 2014. However, developments on the ground here with the adoption of the constitution, going forward with plans for elections and the return of legal cases from military courts back to civilian courts have brought about a situation in which we have renewed political contacts at all levels. That was decided by the Council of the EU on December 11, 2017,” Mr Tapiola said.

“We are also beginning talks about the resumption of negotiations for a free trade agreement, but with the understanding that we will only formally negotiate after there is a democratically elected government. We are preparing for a deepening of relations very rapidly following the election and there is a lot of interaction on that.

“The economic relationship between the EU and Thailand is of course very important. The EU is Thailand’s third largest trading partner after Japan and China. This is an enormous amount of trade and it’s also a very long-standing relationship. The EU is the third biggest investor in Thailand and the second destination for Thai investment. Free trade will be very good for all concerned. We want to move towards this because we in Europe believe in openness and empowering countries. I hope that the preconditions, namely an elected government in place, for resuming negotiations on free trade will be in place very soon.

“The restrictions on government-to-government visits imposed after the military takeover in 2014 have been lifted. The Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai recently visited Brussels and met with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. He also visited Italy and the Italian Foreign Minister came here. The British Foreign Secretary also visited Thailand and there have been other ministerial visits as well. We are interacting now and talking about matters of mutual interest, including human rights and the return to democracy.

“I just want to say that I am sincerely impressed by the quality and qualifcations of the civil service in Thailand, without exceptions. All the senior civil servants I deal with at the various ministries are excellent and the quality of our discussions is also very good. Sometimes we disagree and sometimes we don’t. Thailand  traditionally has the reputation of having a very strong civil service and it is certainly not unfounded.”

“My first assignment abroad was in Canada in 1995. I was posted to the Malaysian High Commission in Ottawa. After that I went to Baghdad, in 1998. It was after the first Gulf War when Saddam was still in power and the country was under United Nations sanctions. I was there with my family during the bombing in December 1998. [The December 1998 bombing of Iraq, code-named Operation Desert Fox, was a four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from 16-19 December by the US and UK.] I was working at the Malaysian embassy in Baghdad when bombing started by the Americans. We could feel it inside the embassy. It was like a tremor. The rooftops are mostly flat there, so we went atop the embassy and I saw the Tomahawk cruise missiles coming, reportedly launched from a ship. It was scary. The next day we evacuated the families but essential personnel stayed back. When I came back to Malaysia I took a position looking after Myanmar and Thailand. Other assignments abroad were in Turkey, in Austria and Cuba. ​

“My assignment in Iraq was the most challenging, but also the most interesting. Every posting has its own charm, even the one in Baghdad. Whether or not a person can see the good things in a situation like that depends on the individual and how they adapt to adverse conditions and hardships. When I was in Cuba the country was experiencing hardships because of the US embargo. Sometimes you would go to the market and not be able to
find any of the food or other items you wanted. You just have to adapt to the situation. You know you won’t actually starve. You can find food but maybe you won’t get your choice. The experience I gained from each post has taught me a lot and I value that experience.
 
“I visited Thailand for the first time as a student in 1987. The second time was as a government officer in July 1999. At that time I was Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia at the MFA and I came here for a joint commission meeting. After that I came to Thailand many times officially, mainly attending various meetings in Bangkok. Malaysia has an embassy in all ASEAN countries so I am ambassador only for Thailand. Our ambassadorial term is three or four years.”

“Personally, there are a few aims I hope to achieve during my assignment in Thailand. I want to meet or exceed what we call key performance indicators set by the ministry. But moreover, the primary thing as I see it is that Thailand is such a very important country for Malaysia in every respect and I am really looking to enhance our already excellent relations. This is a very active and very important post for any Malaysian diplomat. We have regular visits by our ministers and senior officials to Thailand. I want to strengthen the people to people links between senior officials, lower level officials, business people and ordinary citizens of both countries. I am currently visiting various Thai ministries to introduce
myself. I already have very close relationships with many people in these ministries and I want to build on that. What I really hope in the end is to work together with Thais to take actions that actually benefit the people of both countries.
 
“Historically, Malaysians and Thais are connected. Many Malaysians have family linkages with Thais and vice-versa. The three most northern states of Peninsular Malaysia Kalantan, Kedah and Perlis used to be protectorates of Thailand. But in 1909 Thailand signed the ‘Bangkok Treaty’ in which Thailand gave away the three states to the British. This is history. The relations between our two countries are excellent. However, media reports on events along the Thai-Malaysia border are often incorrect,” said the ambassador without elaborating.
“Besides strengthening people to people connections, I am also very keen to find ways to increase trade and investment between our countries. The total trade between Malaysia and Thailand both ways is about US$22.9 billion but we have a target set in 2018 for US$30 billion. Malaysia imports from Thailand mainly natural rubber products, electrical and electronic products, transport equipment, chemical products, machinery equipment and parts and automotive parts. Malaysia is producing two local brands of cars, Proton and Perodua, and some parts are procured in Thailand. Malaysia exports to Thailand mainly electrical and electronic products followed by crude petroleum, petrochemicals and other chemical products, as well as processed foods and plastic products. We also export some machinery and parts. We don’t export cars to Thailand.
 
“The trade balance has always been in Malaysia’s favour. Last year it was about US$548 million. Thailand is Malaysia’s fifth largest trading partner and it’s also very important in terms of investment. There are a number of Malaysian companies present in Thailand, two of the biggest being CIMB Thai and RHB Bank. We have here also several automotive parts manufacturers such as Aapico, Ingress and Petronas. There are also a number of Thai companies in Malaysia. I would like to encourage more Thai investment in Malaysia.
 
“I want to also encourage more Thai tourists to visit my country. There are now many more Malaysians coming to Thailand. Last year about 3.3 million Malaysian tourists visited Thailand, mainly the border areas but some came to Bangkok and points north. About 1.8 million Thais visited Malaysia in 2017. Visas aren’t needed for nationals on either side. There are thousands of Malaysians living in Thailand. Some of them are working for various Malaysian companies.
 
“Regarding trans-national crime, there is good cooperation between the Thai and Malaysian security agencies, both the militaries and the police. Together we control, monitor and patrol the border area well despite the mountainous terrain and forest. We are constantly on the lookout for smugglers of vehicles and other goods, human traffickers and other criminals and we go to great lengths to catch the culprits.”

​“Malaysia is a multi-cultural, multi-racial country. Malays make up the biggest part of the population, followed by Chinese and Indians and then other groups in Sabah and Sarawak such as Iban, Kadazan and Dayak. We have freedom of expression and freedom of religion. We have one state in Borneo called Sabah where the majority of people are Christians. In fact, I am a practicing Christian. I go to a church close to the embassy on North Sathorn Road. The civil service in Malaysia is quite open. Promotions are based on merit. I feel fortunate to serve my fellow Malaysians. I was recommended for my post here by the foreign minister. He is quite open-minded and transparent.
“Vision 2020 was introduced by the current Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1991 with the goal of attaining developed nation status by 2020. We have two more years to go. One of the criteria for developed nation status is that you must have a GDP per capita of US$15,000. Hopefully we can make it.
 
“We are also putting a lot of energy into a policy called ‘TN50’ (‘Transformasi Nasional 2050’). The intention is that by 2050 we should be a transformed nation going into a new era. We are in the process of trying to engage people in all walks of life – this includes school children, youth in general, business people and everyone else – in coming up with ideas of what they want the country to be like in 2050. In other words, what should be the focus after Vision 2020? We are fleshing out this policy now and in the next year will have it up and running.”

​Mr. Samuel is adjusting well to life in Bangkok and keeping very busy. For the time being he is without family here. “I got married in 1994. We have two girls, both of them currently studying at university. The elder is in Kuala Lumpur studying business management and the younger one is in London studying law. Both of them will finish their studies by this year.
 
“My wife, Catherina, also had a career in civil service working domestically for the home sector and attached to the Institute of Public Administration. They do the training of civil servants. My wife was a trainer but because of the nature of my job she lost her seniority every time we went abroad, and when we returned she remained as a junior officer. Therefore, she decided to resign in 2008 and now has her own business in Malaysia. She will come here later. She’s looking after our daughter who is studying in Malaysia. 
​“I have visited Thailand often but I have only been living here a few months, so I am still learning about the country. Generally I find that Thais, be they officials or members of the public, are very friendly and very humble. I have known some officials since I was an officer at the MFA with a position in our ASEAN department. I know them very well. This makes it easier for me, and I am also well accepted as the representative of a friendly neighbouring country.
 
“I have already been to Chiang Mai and to Phitsanulok and intend to visit other places in the Northeast and South of Thailand, particularly our consulate in Songkhla. I feel that it’s my responsibility to visit all Thai provinces and to meet people. What I want to do is get closer to the Thai people. I like to go out and explore Bangkok when I have time during the weekend. For this I dress casually, sometimes in shorts and T-shirt.
 
“As for my hobbies, I like reading. I used to play football in my school days and I very much like to watch the English Premier League on TV, especially Liverpool. I am a big fan.” But most of his time is spent doing the work of representing and promoting Malaysia in the Kingdom of Thailand. It’s a job he’s happy to do. ‘‘We have a saying: ‘To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia.’ I want to help the people of Thailand to get to know my country.”

Academic Qualifications 
​• B.A (Hons.), (Southeast Asia Studies, University of Malaya, Diploma in Public Administration, INTAN.
Appointments
• December 1992: Appointed as Administrative and Diplomatic officer and served as Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Malaysia.
April 1993: Assistant Secretary (Eastern Europe), MFA, Malaysia.
July 1995: Second Secretary, High Commission of Malaysia, Ottawa
Canada.
January 1998: First Secretary, Embassy of Malaysia, Baghdad, Iraq.
July 1999: Assistant Secretary (Southeast Asia) MFA, Malaysia.
July 2002: Counselor, Embassy of Malaysia, Ankara, Turkey.
August 2005: Deputy Head of Mission/Counselor, and Deputy Permanent
Representative to the United Nations office, embassy of Malaysia, Vienna, Austria.
January 2009: Undersecretary (East Asia) MFA, Malaysia.
July 2011: Ambassador of Malaysia to Cuba (with concurrent accreditation
to Haiti, Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua).
August 2014: Deputy Director General, ASEAN-Malaysia National
Secretariat, MFA, Malaysia.
January 2016: Director General, ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat,
MFA, Malaysia.
Award
December 2017: Awarded Darjah Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (DSAP).