Secretary general of asean surin pitsuwan biography

Thai politician (–)

Surin Abdul Halim bin Ismail Pitsuwan^[2][3] (Thai: สุรินทร์ พิศสุวรรณ; Jawi: سورين عبدالحاليم بن اسماعيل ڤيتسووان; October 28, – November 30, ) was a Thai diplomat and politician of Malay descent who served as the 12th secretary-general of ASEAN between and

Early years

Surin studied at Thammasat University, Thailand, where he received his BA in political science.^[2] He graduated cum laude from Claremont Mens College, California, in political science in With the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, he went on to pursue his studies at Harvard University, receiving his MA in He spent one and a half years studying Arabic and doing research at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, from to From to , he was a researcher for the Human Rights Studies Program, Thai Studies Institute, and the Ford Foundation at Thammasat University. He became a congressional fellow under the sponsorship of the American Political Science Association (APSA) from to , working in the US capitol.^[2] During this period he taught international relations at the American University in Washington, D.C. He returned to Harvard to complete his PhD in His dissertation was entitled, Islam and Malay Nationalism.^[4]

Political career

Surin Pitsuwan was elected member of parliament from Nakhon Si Thammarat for the first time in and became secretary to the Speaker of the House of Representatives the same year. In , he was appointed assistant secretary to the Minister of Interior. From until , he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs before becoming Minister of Foreign Affairs in , serving in this capacity until Surin Pitsuwan was chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum from until

In addition to his political career, Surin taught at Thammasat University and wrote for two English daily newspapers in Bangkok between and He was academic assistant to the Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and later to the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Thammasat University from to

ASEAN Secretary-General

On 18 June , the Thai cabinet unanimously endorsed the recommendation of the Thai Foreign Ministry that Surin Pitsuwan be nominated as the Thai candidate for Secretary-General of ASEAN. He was confirmed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers during their 40th annual meeting in Manila in July and succeeded Ong Keng Yong from Singapore on 1 January ^[5] His term of office was five years. The Economist magazine, commenting that most secretaries-general are "usually a senior regional official rewarded with the post as the crowning boondoggle in a career of not rocking the boat", states that Surin is different in that he seeks an activist role in member states.^[6] Surin Pitsuwan was the first ASEAN Secretary-General with significant political experience.

On 1 January , he handed over his post to Le Luong Minh, the next ASEAN Secretary-General. On 17 January he announced that he would be ready to take over Thailand's education ministry "if given the chance".^[7]

Surin's tenure at ASEAN saw the rise of the regional organization into an important global player in international affairs. "He will be a hard act to follow", said Professor Amitav Acharya of the American University in Washington D.C. Under Surin's stewardship, Acharya said, ASEAN moved away from the principle of "non-interference in the internal affairs" of member states that had been used by some to deflect criticisms of their human rights records, and the grouping succeeded in setting up its own Human Rights Commission. The change in direction followed Surin's advocacy of a policy of "flexible engagement" towards Myanmar when he was Foreign Minister from through The policy called for increasing interactions with Myanmar leaders when they took steps towards reform, and building people-to-people contacts between nations. Prior to that, ASEAN had been criticized by some for its policy of "constructive engagement", which detractors said was simply a cover for business persons to ignore government repression. Acharya said that Surin would be remembered for guiding the grouping through challenging times, including the opening up of Myanmar, the United States entry into the East Asia Summit, and rising tensions over the South China Sea. "He was the most active, open and globalized ASEAN secretary-general ever", he said. An editorial in the Jakarta Post lauded Surin as the most effective of the 12 secretaries-general in the group's history.^[8][9][10]

Affiliations

Since , he was a member of the board of trustees for The Asia Foundation.^[11]

Since October , Surin served as on the board of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a private diplomacy organization whose mission is to prevent armed violence through mediation and dialogue.^[12]

Surin was a member of the Commission on Human Security, a member of the advisory board of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, and a member of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.

Surin's eldest son, Fuadi Pitsuwan, announced the formation of the Surin Pitsuwan Foundation in The foundation will focus on three areas: education, diplomacy, and human security. The foundation will provide scholarships to ASEAN students to study abroad, within and without the region, to spur ASEAN integration and encourage academic excellence. The foundation will fund diplomacy programs in interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution to further ASEAN integration. On human security, the foundation will assist in disaster relief and respond to development needs that will help secure the future of ASEAN's citizens.^[13]

Death

Surin died on 30 November of heart failure. He collapsed while preparing to address the Thailand Halal Assembly in Bangkok. He was ^[14]

Honours

Surin has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand:

Foreign honour

Academic rank

References

External links