Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Eric G. John, at Seri Thai Luncheon, InterContinental, Bangkok
[As Prepared for Delivery]
Your Excellency Air Chief Marshal Siddhi, Seri Thai members and families, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen.
In 2008, my wife Sophia and I were honored to host many of you in this room today for a luncheon at my residence and we are very grateful for your kind invitation to join you here today. We are privileged to be in the presence of men and women whose love of their nation, dedication to freedom, commitment to duty, and extraordinary bravery not only helped liberate Thailand, but also helped further strengthen the bond of friendship that the United States and Thailand have enjoyed for so long.
The origins of our close partnership go back more than 176 years, starting with the Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1833 -- the United States’ first treaty with an Asian nation -- and growing into a multi-faceted, dynamic partnership that spans the fields of education, culture, trade, public health, law enforcement, and beyond.
The first 100 years of our warm relationship was primarily diplomatic and economic in nature. World War II, however, significantly changed this. After the Japanese occupied Thailand, a group of courageous young Thai volunteers -- the Seri Thai -- worked together with our Office of Strategic Services to train a dedicated group of patriots who were intent on defeating the occupiers.
This cooperation brought us closer together, and in the early post-War period, helped build the foundation of our future military cooperation. Since the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization was formed in 1954, Thailand and the U.S. have worked together to preserve and further peace in our own nations and around the world. Our troops have served together in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq and we have also partnered to bring peace to Cambodia and East Timor.
Economically the U.S. and Thailand also enjoy ties that are long-standing and strong. Annual bilateral trade has been over $32 billion in recent years; cumulative U.S. investment over the past twenty plus years is estimated at $23 billion, and U.S. companies employ over a quarter million Thai citizens. Unfortunately, the global economic crisis has caused a decline in these figures this year, but the Thai-U.S. commercial relationship has weathered storms in the past and it will weather this one as well.
Public health issues are also an extremely important part of our cooperation. The United States and Thailand, through programs with USAID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, cooperate closely on a range of public health initiatives, including efforts to fight malaria, tuberculosis, dengue, HIV/AIDS, and avian/pandemic influenza.
The United States and Thailand also share a longstanding, cooperative relationship in the area of law enforcement. Our two countries work together closely on a broad range of programs from transnational crime to trafficking in persons. As part of this cooperative effort, the U.S. supports the International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok, which provides counter-narcotics and anti-crime capacity-building programs to law enforcement and judicial officials from a number of regional countries. We are also engaged with local NGOs and community organizations to help bring an end to human trafficking.
The Seri Thai played an invaluable role in allowing the U.S.-Thai partnership to grow. When President Bush visited Thailand in August 2008, he had the opportunity to met Seri Thai members. Afterwards he publicly praised their contributions and stated “they have the lasting gratitude of the American people.” The Seri Thai have also earned the gratitude of the Thai people by restoring Thailand’s sovereignty and securing its future.
Last year I had the pleasure of visiting the Seri Thai Museum here in Bangkok which preserves the story of this group of Patriots for generations to come. These generations are represented here today by family members of some of the original volunteers. Their presence not only honors the accomplishments of the Seri Thai, it ensures future generations can learn of the Seri Thai’s contribution to Thailand’s freedom and the strengthening of U.S. – Thai relations.
Please join me in a toast to the brave members of the Seri Thai, their families, and to the continued close ties between our two nations.