H.E. Suwat Kaewsook

I believe in friendship and understanding

Text: Martina Hošková and M.Zisso; Photo: Archive

Let’s start with our traditional opening question. Can you tell us about yourself?

I was born in Surin, a remote and quiet town in the Northeast of Thailand. I spent my childhood there – a very simple life, surrounded by beautiful nature, forests, and rice fields every day. At 17 years old I moved to the city of Bangkok to continue my high school education. From then on, my life has completely changed.

What made you become an ambassador?

Since a young age, I loved listening to Western music on shortwave radio, sometimes listening to foreign languages I did not even understand. I kept doing that with many unanswered questions in my mind. Afterwards, I started learning English at school with a dream that one day I would have a chance to travel the world, meeting people, and learning about different cultures. Curiosity has always been a motivation, pushing me to succeed at school and university and throughout my adult life. Being an ambassador now, that kind of thought is still with me. I realize that diplomacy needs the skill to associate with foreigners, make friends, and understand their cultures.

How many countries have you served in?

I started my career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988 and then gradually served my country in seven diplomatic and consular missions, from Vietnam to China, France, Cambodia, Pakistan, and the Sultanate of Oman. The Czech Republic is my latest assignment.

You have been in the Czech Republic for over six months. Can you share some of your impressions?

The Czech Republic is a mid-sized nation in Europe but has always played an important (and in fact much bigger than its size) role in the region. I admire the people of Czechia for their love of freedom, democracy, humanitarian values, and their strong spirit of fighting to survive throughout their long history. Since the first day of my arrival in Prague and meeting people here, I truly feel that the Czech Republic has much more to offer, and many things we can learn from you.

What is the most difficult part of being an ambassador?

In my opinion, nothing is too difficult or too easy. It looks more like a challenge to me. Some situations make you feel unprepared and make it very difficult to manage your job, such as a sudden emergency, a disaster, or worse – a conflict or war. We must be ready for all kinds of situations and problems.

What do you do in your free time?

My wife and I love walking through the Old Town of Prague. We enjoy seeing the beautiful architecture, historical buildings, old squares with cobble-stoned roads, Charles Bridge, and the romantic Vltava River view. It feels like travelling back in time to the past. It is very beautiful, beyond expression.

Can you give a piece of advice to the next generation of ambassadors?

I think we all know very well that, today, we are living in a more complex and dangerous world, with many crises and challenges. As far as us doing our jobs, it is important to keep in mind that diplomacy works through dialogue and peaceful negotiation. Our mission is simple: to make the world a better place to live in, and to save the environment for the next generation.

Thailand is an exotic and fascinating holiday destination for Czech people. How do you promote your country?

For the past two decades, tourism has been an important part of Thailand’s economy. Tourism connects Thai society with people around the world. I can say that tourism makes our people know each other much better than before. Since the COVID-19 crisis has passed, I was very glad to learn that more than 50,000 Czech friends chose Thailand as their tourist destination, and more than 10,000 Thais visited the Czech Republic last year. Thailand always looks forward to welcoming tourists from around the world. It is the destination of choices, and will make everyone feel comfortable. Please visit Thailand and enjoy it yourself.

Thailand is a part of the ASEAN group. What is the goal of this organization?

The ten Southeast Asia nations, with a population of 680 million and diverse cultures, religions, and ways of life, have proved to be the land of peace, unity, and prosperity. Thailand, together with all ASEAN countries, is working hard to transform ASEAN to be a community of economic sustainability, infrastructure connectivity, and green development. We open doors for cooperation with external partners. We are also working closely with the European Union, as strategic partners on many projects. I am sure that ASEAN’s narratives of development will benefit us all in the near future.

What is the current status of Czechia–Thailand relations?

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Czech Republic, which started on March 15th, 1974. Our relationship has always been friendly and dynamic, with cooperation. This occasion is an important milestone to further strengthen our longstanding ties and cooperation, which both sides have the potential to do more for. There are many new areas for cooperation, such as education, science and innovation, nanotechnology, start-up businesses, the automobile industry, and space technology.

This interview is done on the occasion of Thailand’s national day. What do you wish for your country, and for Czechia, on this day?

We are looking forward to strengthening relations and cooperation in all fields. I do believe in friendship and understanding at the level of people to people. A relationship is not just about governments or diplomats – it also concerns people in our communities. The Thai embassy wishes to serve this purpose by acting as a bridge to connect the people of our two countries, for a stronger relationship in the future.