Former Thai Official to Visit KSG, HLS

The former deputy prime minister of Thailand is arriving today as a senior fellow at the International Security Program at the Kennedy School of Government’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, a Kennedy School spokeswoman said late last week.

Surakiart Sathirathai will also be a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School’s European Law Research Center, according to spokesman Michael A. Armini, who added that Sathirathai will not have a teaching appointment.

Sathirathai received a master’s degree from the Law School in 1982 and became the first Thai person to earn a doctorate in law from Harvard in 1985.

As deputy prime minister, he oversaw foreign affairs, education, and culture in Thailand. He held the position for only one year before the government was overthrown by a coup d’état last fall.

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, a member of the Thai parliament who is currently a Mason fellow at the Kennedy School, said that Sathirathai played a “much more substantial role in the government” as minister of foreign affairs, a position he held from February 2001 to March 2005.

Chareonwongsak also praised Sathirathai for his diplomatic skills and his tirelessness in traveling the world on behalf of his country.

Although Chareonwongsak is a member of an opposing political party, he noted Sathirathai’s ability to build personal relations in addition to international ones.

“He is a competent man who is well educated and has a tremendous ability. He doesn’t create enemies,” Chareonwongsak said.

Sathirathai was also a candidate for the United Nations’ secretary-general.

“Most of his time as foreign minister was spent trying to gain support” for his candidacy, Chareonwongsak said.

Sathirathai’s son, Santitarn Sathirathai, is currently a student at the Kennedy School pursuing a masters in public administration with an emphasis on international development, according to the Kennedy School spokeswoman, Melodie L. Jackson.

Surakiart Sathirithai could not be reached for comment.