Surakiart Sathirathai (Thai: สุรเกียรติ์ เสถียรไทย, born June 7, 1958, Bangkok) is a Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand oversseing Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture. June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bangkok from the Chao Phraya River at sunset, July 2004 The Wat Phra Kaew temple Bangkok Metropolitan Administration building Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep ( (help· info)), or Krung Thep Maha Nakhon ( (help· info), IPA: ), is the capital and largest city of Thailand, with an official 1990 census population...

Early career

Dr. Surakiart grew up in Bangkok. He graduated with a First Class degree in law from Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University before earning LL.M. and S.J.D., from Harvard University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Dr. Surakiart was the first Thai to earn a doctorate in law from Harvard Law School, his doctoral thesis, “An Understanding of the Relationship Among International Legal Discourse About Development, Third World Countries, and International Peace,” (1985) explored the global trade law regime from the perspective of the third world. He later co-edited Third World Attitudes Toward International Law: An Introduction (1987) and authored various articles on law and development. From the late 1980s until the late 1990s, Surakiart taught in the Faculty of Law at Chulalongkorn University and ultimately became Dean. Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and has long been considered to be the most prestigeous academic institution in the country. ... The Master of Laws is an advanced law degree that allows someone to specialize in a particular area of law. ... Legum Doctor (English: Doctor of Laws; abbreviated to LL.D.) In the UK and Canada the LL.D. is a doctorate usually awarded on the basis of exceptionally insightful and distinctive publications, containing significant and original contributions to the science or study of law. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... The Cabot Intercultural Center of The Fletcher School at Tufts University The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, also called simply The Fletcher School, is the oldest graduate school of international relations in the United States. ... Tufts University is a private university located in Medford, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. ...

Career in Thai politics

In 1995, Dr. Surakiart became Thailand’s youngest Finance Minister under Prime Minister Banharn Silapa-Archa. Surakiart's supporters maintain that although he inherited a national economy beset by structural challenges that ultimately exposed it to the Thai financial crisis, Dr. Surakiart designed and implemented reforms that, while deeply unpopular, moved the economy in the right direction and have become an essential part of Thailand's economic policy. Nevertheless, resigned less than a year after his appointment over his handling of the collapse of the Bangkok Bank of Commerce. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister is a politician who serves as the head of the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ...

After his controversial tenure at the Finance Ministry, Surakiart went on to serve as Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Council on Economic and Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyuth until 1997. Following that, he was President of the Institute of Social and Economic Policy (ISEP), a think tank, from 1997 to 2001. In the late 1990s, Surakiart led several major Thai corporations through restructurings and bankruptcy proceedings, and founded and chaired a major Bangkok law firm. 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the institution. ...

In 2001, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra appointed Dr. Surakiart as Minister of Foreign Affairs, a position he held until early 2005 when he became Deputy Prime Minister. As Foreign Minister, Surakiart sought to promote regional economic development through various cooperative networks, including Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). As Deputy Prime Minister, Surakiart now oversees the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, and Culture. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra (Thai: ทักษิณ ชินวัตร, IPA: [ (help· info); born July 26, 1949), Thai politician, is the current prime minister of Thailand and the leader of the populist Thai Rak Thai party. ... A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister that helps to form foreign policy for sovereign nations. ... A Deputy Prime Minister is the deputy of a Prime Minister, and a member of a nations cabinet. ...

Campaign to become UN Secretary General

The Royal Thai Government has nominated Dr. Surakiart as Thailand’s candidate for United Nations Secretary General when Kofi Annan completes his term at the end of 2006. Many other nations, including the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have pledged to support Dr. Surakiart’s bid. He is also rumored to have the backing of China, a permanent member of the Security Council. Surakiart's candidature may be adversely affected by the controversial policies of Thaksin Shinawatra. Its relations with the military junta in Myanmar and handling of unrest in the predominantly Muslim south of the country are particularly contentious. But Surakiart's supporters contend that he spear-headed Thailand's "prosper thy neighbor" policy of regional economic coordination and that his quiet diplomatic style have helped resolve numerous long-standing regional disputes. United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A large number of international organizations and other bodies have a secretary general or secretary-general as their chief administrative officers or in other administrative capacities. ... Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ... Hymn: The ASEAN Hymn Seat of Secretariat Jakarta Secretary General Ong Keng Yong Area  - Total 4,480,000 km2 Population  - Total (2004)  - Density 592,000,000 122. ...

The Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council. To be elected, a candidate to the post needs 9 votes from the Security Council, including those of all 5 permanent members. The General Assembly then holds a vote; two-thirds of Member States need to support the candidacy for the Secretary General to be appointed. The US administation has emphasized the importance of management skills in any candidate, regardless of nationality, and is looking for someone with the experience to deliver reform at the United Nations.

Personal life

In keeping with Thai tradition, Dr. Surakiart spent a period as a monk in a Buddhist monastery. He is married to Thanpuying Dr. Suthawan Sathirathai, who holds several advanced degrees including a doctorate in economics from the University of Cambridge (UK). They have one son, a graduate of the London School of Economics, who recently left the Thai Ministry of Finance to continue his postgraduate studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Questions about the state of his marriage and Surakiart's sexuality have circulated in the Thai press in the past, which some observers suggest could affect his chances of winning endorsements from United States President George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, and the socially conservative leadership of the U.S. Congress.[1] The London School of Economics and Political Science, often referred to as the London School of Economics or simply the LSE, is a specialist university and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located on Houghton Street in Central London, off the Aldwych and next to the Royal... The John F. Kennedy School of Government is a school within Harvard University that offers graduate degrees in public policy and public administration, as well as conducting research in various subjects relating to politics and government. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States. ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Republican; a belief in a constitutional system without an hereditary element. ... Social conservatism is a belief in traditional morality and social mores and the desire to preserve these in present day society, often through civil law or regulation. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ...

External links

• Official Website
• Candidate for U.N. Secretary-General speaks on campus
• ASEAN Nations Back Thai Foreign Minister as Next UN Secretary-General
• Diplomats in Bangkok have reduced his chances of winning the UN post
• US Lawmakers Want Bush to Slam Thaksin