Ambassador Commemorates 175 Years of U.S.-Thai Friendship in Chiang Mai
On March 18, 2008, Ambassador Eric John visited Chiang Mai where he participated in a series of events in honor of 175 years of U.S.-Thai friendship, which included the opening of a regional business seminar on logistics development, donation of English language educational resources to the Ministry of Education, and a visit to the Elephant Nature Park in Mae Taeng.
Early in the day, Ambassador John opened a business conference on “Logistics Development in the Greater Mekong Subregion.” Among the issues of particular interest to Ambassador John at the business conference were greater U.S.-Thai economic and commercial cooperation; expanding our already strong bilateral trade and investment relationships; diversifying development in new sectors to ensure stronger and more sustainable growth for this region beyond agriculture and tourism; and welcoming opportunities to expand U.S. investment and commercial presence throughout the countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion. Ambassador John, along with representative from the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand and U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, then presented 10 sets of “English Toolkits” to the Ministry of Education’s English Resource Instructional Centers (ERICs). These 10 toolkits are the first of 175 to be donated to teachers of English throughout Thailand in celebration of the 175th Anniversary of U.S.-Thai relations.
Later in the day, the Ambassador visited the Elephant Nature Park in Mae Taeng with U.S. Consulate General Chiang Mai Consul General Michael Morrow. This private sanctuary for Thai elephants offers an ecotourism experience of conservation and education for visitors who wish to observe elephants interacting in their natural habitat. The park receives private funding from the U.S. via the Serengeti Foundation and the Alexander Abraham Foundation. The park takes on short-term volunteer staff, some of whom are American. It also has a cooperative project with Ohio University’s Global Leadership Program, which has recently provided the park with its findings on how to raise awareness of the Asian elephant in a culturally sensitive way. Key participants in the afternoon visit were Elephant Nature Park Founder/Director Sangduen “Lek” Chailert; Fulbrighter Joshua Plotnik, who is studying elephant behavior at the park; and Plotnik’s Emory University advisor, Dr. Frans de Waal, member of U.S. National Academy of Sciences and renowned primatologist and animal behaviorist. The Ambassador even had the chance to bathe an elephant in the Mae Taeng River — the park’s signature activity.
