001/08 January 11, 2008

Announcement of the new U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok is pleased to announce the Honorable Mr. Eric G. John as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Thailand.  Ambassador John arrived in Thailand on December 30, 2007.  Ambassador John is considered to have taken up his Ambassadorial duties in the Kingdom of Thailand on January 8, 2008, following notice by the Director of Protocol that his request for an audience with His Majesty the King for the presentation of credentials, along with copies of the Letters of Credence and the Letters of Recall of His Predecessor, had been submitted to the attention of His Majesty the King.

Ambassador John was nominated by President George W. Bush on May 21, 2007 and was sworn in by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on October 22, 2007. 

Ambassador John is a native of Indiana and is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.  He most recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia, where he coordinated policy in Washington with regard to the eleven nations in that region, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  He has previously served as the Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Korea and as the Deputy Consul General in the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.  Ambassador John was assigned to the U.S. Embassy Bangkok from 1989 to 1992.

Ambassador John joined the Foreign Service in 1983, shortly after he graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.  He has a Master’s Degree from the National War College.  Ambassador John is accompanied by Mrs. Sophia John and their two children, Adam and Nicole.

Click here for full biography of Ambassador Eric G. John