On 30 October 2008, Mr.Virasakdi Futrakul, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, presided over the award ceremony for five winners of the English composition contest on “How to promote democracy” at the Foreign Ministry. The winners will get to travel to the U.S. and observe the presidential election in Washington D.C. The contest was among many activities organized by Department of American and Pacific Affairs, MFA, to celebrate “175 Years of Thai-U.S. Friendship” in 2008.
Permanent Secretary Virasakdi congratulated the students on this rare opportunity in witnessing the historical presidential election of the United States with one candidate possibly the most senior president in the U.S. history while the other as the first ever color President. Upon wishing them a safe trip, he also concluded that the trip will be a valuable experience for the students, as Thai junior Ambassadors, to meet and tell their American friends that they are from the first Asian country, with which the U.S. established diplomatic relations.
Five students, selected for their excellent compository writing, are from Bangkok University, Chulalongkorn University, and Thammasart University. As an award, the Ministry sponsored the students to spend eight days in Washington DC to observe the 2008 US Presidential election. During their time there, the students will have an opportunity to meet with Congress officials, officials from the State Department and researchers in the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and receive a briefing from Royal Thai Embassy in Washington. They will also visit Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and American University.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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