Certificate of Merit Awarded to Departing Ambassador of Thailand

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Certificate of Merit Awarded to Departing Ambassador of Thailand
Farewell. By Ann Daly. On Tuesday, January 6, at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel, His Excellency Dr. Virachai Plasai, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Netherlands was awarded a Certificate of Merit by Diplomat Magazine. His Excellency has served as the Ambassador to the Netherlands since presenting Letters of Credentials to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in August, 2009 and to the Director General of the OPCW a month later in September, 2009.   BW COMT 002 Prior to being appointed as Ambassador, Dr. Plasai was the Director-General, Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs from September 2007 to May 2009.  He also served as Director-General of Department of International Economic Affairs during 2006-2007. This year marks the 28th anniversary of his distinguished career in Thai Diplomatic Service, which began in the Department of Political Affairs in 1987. His other overseas posts were as First Secretary at the Royal Thai Embassy in London and as Minister Counselor for legal affairs at the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the World Trade Organization in Geneva.  While serving as the Thai Ambassador to The Hague, he also acted as the agent of the Kingdom of Thailand in the case concerning the interpretation of the Judgment of 15 June 1962 in the case concerning the “Temple of Preah Vihear” (Cambodia v. Thailand) before the International Court of Justice.    BW COMT 008 During his tenure in The Hague, Ambassador Plasai has successfully brought investors and friends of Thailand in the Netherlands together as never before, through various kinds of activities, which resulted in increased awareness among the Dutch people and business community of investment opportunities and attractive business climate in Thailand as well as Thailand’s charms as tourist destination.   BW COMT 005   Thailand offers tourists diverse cultural experiences from outstanding culinary programs to traditional folkloric dance and music.  The country’s friendly hospitality continues to attract some 200,000 Dutch visitors per year.  With respect to tourism, while recognizing the importance of statistics, Ambassador Plasai also attaches high importance to sustainable development and responsible tourism, including protection of the rights of both humans and animals.   BW COMT 012 Ambassador Plasai’s dedication to the promotion of Thai culture among the local communities has also won him trust and genuine support from various groups of Thai people residing in the Netherlands who have generously supported his efforts. Among those memorable events organized by Ambassador Plasai were the “Thailand Grand Festival”, an annual event held in summer, featuring various Thai cultural experiences through the food as well as traditional and contemporary performances.   BW COMT 004 The international community in The Hague remembers fondly “The Khon”, magnificent Thai classical masked dance drama based on the universally known epic “Ramayana”.  The Khon presentation organized by the Royal Thai Embassy, with support from the Department of Fine Arts, Ministry of Culture of Thailand, was a unique opportunity to see performances by The Royal Thai Dance Troupe in the Netherlands.  The Royal Thai Dance Troupe is recognized as Thailand’s top performing arts group, which until only very recently, performed solely in the royal court or staged for the public by royal command.   BW COMT 010 In his brief speech after being awarded the Certificate of Merit, Ambassador Plasai recalled that his most memorable personal experience as the Thai Ambassador to the Netherlands occurred at the time of the Royal Succession Celebration (Troonswisseling) from the then  Her Majesty Queen Beatrix to the then His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander, when he had a very rare opportunity to serve both His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand who visited the Kingdom of the Netherlands to attend the ceremony, at the same time, in addition to an opportunity to witness the historical passing of the throne.   BW COMT 007 Although Ambassador Plasai will be leaving the Netherlands soon, his calm, generous and creative personality will certainly be missed.  Diplomat Magazine and all the staff have very much enjoyed working closely with Ambassador Plasai.  On behalf of the team of Diplomat Magazine, we would like to extend to him our best wishes for a successful and bright future as well as good health.
Certificate of Merit – Ceremony of Merit- Farewell ceremony
 

Massive Trade Opportunities in Pakistan

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Massive Trade Opportunities in Pakistan

The Trade Office at the Embassy of Pakistan in the Hague, organized an informative seminar on  Massive Trade Opportunities in Pakistan in the wake of GSP Plus(GSP+) on 14th of January, 2015 at the Hilton Hotel , Zeestraat 35, The Hague.

 It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan has become an attractive market for Dutch companies after being awarded the GSP+ status by the European Union. The EU gave the Generalized System of Preference plus (GSP+) facility to Pakistan which came into effect from 1st January 2014. Under the scheme 6269 products from Pakistan now have duty free access to EU markets including Netherlands. BW-PS2015--02-web GSP+ Seminar-Exhibition - Copy (2) The seminar was arranged by the Embassy of Pakistan’s Trade Office to highlight the massive trade opportunities for both Dutch and Pakistani companies and to give information to Dutch companies about the steps taken by all stake holders including the Government of Pakistan, Dutch Government, and Private sector to maximize the benefits of GSP+. The seminar also endeavored to highlight the experiences of companies that already have established businesses in Pakistan. Big buying chain HEMA and Small Medium Enterprise shared their experiences of doing Business with Pakistan. The seminar was preceded by Exhibition of Pakistani products exhibited by HEMA, Muta Sports, Arma Leder, Europell, and Royal Textiles. The participants showed keen interest in the exhibition since it shed light in the flesh on how fruitful business in Pakistan can be. After seminar dinner was served which consisted of popular Pakistani cuisine. BW PS2015 0 09 BW-PS2015--07-web The Seminar was presided by H.E Ambassador of Pakistan, His Excellency Mr Moazzam Ahmad Khan and the Guest of Honor was Mr. Simon Smits, Vice Minister of International Trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands. Mr. Max Timmerman, Managing Director of CBI also attended the seminar. Presentations were made by Hema, Modint, Muta Sports, CBI, PUM and Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER). BW-PS2015--06-web The event was a great success and around 100 Dutch companies, Trade Associations, Diplomats and representatives from Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs participated in the seminar. Participants lauded the efforts of the Trade Office, Embassy of Pakistan for arranging such an informative and educational seminar and exhibition. BW-PS2015--05-web    

His Majesty’s New Year’s Reception

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His Majesty’s New Year’s Reception
By Baron Henri Estramant.
King Willem-Alexander hosted a reception for heads of missions, and chargés d’affaires accredited to The Netherlands. The guest list also included the chiefs of international organisations based in the kingdom. 
The traditional New Year’s Reception for ambassadors was held in the afternoon of 14 January 2015 at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. His Majesty was accompanied by HM The Queen, his mother HRH Princess Beatrix, aunt HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, and Prof Pieter van Vollenhoven. 
The reception was the second one hosted by The King in Amsterdam. The first one was given for the Dutch political establishment as well as representatives of the Dutch society on 13 January 2015 also at the Royal Palace.     
 

Famous Dutch Designer’s pop up store at Carlton

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Famous Dutch Designer’s pop up store at Carlton
  On Sunday 25 January, one of the banquet rooms of the Carlton Ambassador will be turned into a pop up store from the famous Dutch designer Addy van de Krommenacker. These pop up stores more often presented through The Netherlands and France and all arranged by Marloes van de Wetering from Addy-Europe. Please have a look at their facebook page for an impression: https://www.facebook.com/addycannes 1959645_716030788485381_5626238860070673637_n[1]  Who will be interested in the ADDY Ready to Wear Collection which will be in the pop up store?  We could not think of a better audience than the Diplomat Magazine’s readers! Interested in Addy Ready to Wear Collection? Come to Carlton Ambassador on  January 25th from 12pm – 8pm  to look and fit this collection from the famous Dutch designer Addy van de Krommenacker . For registration and more information, please contact: info@addy-europe.com 1466299_749828048438988_3032581934290409703_n[1]

Royal Concerts, smooth easy jazz party

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Royal Concerts, smooth easy jazz party
Valentina Beglaryan, announces the performance of The Royal Concerts, a saxophone and an string quartet accompanied in this occasion by Argentine tango’s dancers. Valentine’s Day will bring passion, expression and emotion through love and music with the performance of The Royal Concerts, exclusive jazz and classical music organization, a unique synthesis of luxury, quality and art. The Royal Concert’s artists have successful recorded and performed on luxury events in Netherland and abroad. On February 14, they will bring to life, one more time, their exquisite repertoire and its own way unique interpretation. Saxophone, singer and string quartet playing Argentine tango accompanied with the Europe’s best tango dancer couple will entertain during the event. In addition, fashion model show, champagne and caviar will be served. Diplomats, lawyers, politicians, are among our special selection of guests. To find out more about Royal Concert’s events and buy tickets, please contact Valentina Beglaryan  at 0031(0)70-7370575 / 06 46 954316 Email: info@royalconcerts.nl  or visit the page www.royalconcerts.nl

First commoner PM for Tonga

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First commoner PM for Tonga
By Baron Henri Estramant. Civil rights activist and leader of the Democratic Party of the Friendly islands ‘Akilisi Pohiva was voted in as Tonga’s first non-noble Prime Minister on 29 December 2014.  Tonga is a constitutional monarchy, albeit the King gave up many constitutional powers in 2010 to pave the way for a parliamentary democracy. The country’s monarchs had previously appointed the prime minister and the cabinet. The 2010 constitutional reforms increased the number of elected commoners, or “people’s representatives” to 17, left the number of nobles at 9, and gave the 26-member Parliament the right to select the head of government. The King assumed a largely ceremonial role, but remains much revered by Tongans. Back in 2010, the newly elected MPs could not agree on ‘Akilisi Pohiva as their candidate for prime minister. Instead, the noble MPs (selected by 33 holders of hereditary titles) clubbed together with the more conservative elected politicians from the northern islands of Tonga to select Lord Siale’ataonga Tu’ivakano as Prime Minister and Minister of foreign Affairs.  In the latest vote in December 2014, however, the “people’s representatives” garnered their votes, and elected Mr Pohiva with 15 ballots against 11 from the opposition. Thus far the new cabinet includes only one noble, Lord Ma’afu, as Minister for Lands and His Majesty’s Armed Forces.  The new Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva has distinguished himself for being a fervent defender of democracy to the detriment of reyal power, and the privileges of the nobles. Indeed he was imprisoned in 1996 for “contempt of parliament”.       

Guatemalan Embassy hosted a New Year’s reception

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Guatemalan Embassy hosted a New Year’s reception
  By Aldo Rodriguez.
The Guatemalan Embassy hosted an intimate New Year’s reception for the Guatemalan community now residing in the Netherlands on Saturday, January 10th 2015. The gathering, attended by some 100 enthusiastic guests who traveled from seemingly every corner of the Netherlands to be present at The Hague’s Madurodam was enjoyed by all.
Guatemala Community Guests were invited to partake in an afternoon visit at the Dutch-themed park, along with the merriment of traditional Guatemalan tamales, music, and of course, a family-reunion-like reception that followed.Ambassador of Guatemala
H.E. Mr. Gabriel Aguilera Peralta along with his staff were all on-hand to greet and mingle with their guests in true Guatemalan-warmth-style for which the Central American country is known and loved. Public Gutemala

“Hands of our girls” at the Plein

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“Hands of our girls” at the Plein
About forty employees of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the international diplomatic community joined in an international choir the day before Christmas at the Plein in The Hague for Christmas carols singing and to raise money in support of Serious Request.
Serious Request is a nationwide Dutch charity initiative collecting money for ICRC projects. In the framework of Serious Request, three DJs lived in a glass house for six days on a juice-only diet. Last December they launched a campaign in support of victims of violence against women and girls in conflict situations under the motto “hands of our girls”.
The money that was raised by the diplomatic choir – a little over 450 euro – was handed over by the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders later that day to the DJ’s. Overall the Serious Request campaign raised almost 12.4 million euro.

Splendor of glorious exhibition in Carthage National Museum of Antiquities

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Splendor of glorious exhibition in Carthage National Museum of Antiquities
Power and splendor of glorious exhibition in Carthage National Museum of Antiquities  The Museum of Antiquities in Leiden ‘Carthage’, presents a unique exhibition about one of the most legendary port cities of antiquity. To admire over 250 archaeological pieces from including leading Tunisian museums, the Louvre and the British Museum. The impressive marble and bronze sculptures, colorful mosaics, exquisite jewelery and valuables turned up evidence of the archaeological wealth of this once rich and powerful city on the coast of present-day Tunisia. It is the first time it shows a large exhibition on Carthage in the Netherlands. ‘Carthage’ is open until 10 May 2015. More information is available at www.rmo.nl/carthago 

ICC prosecutor statement on Yebei’s murder

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ICC prosecutor statement on Yebei’s murder
Statement of the Office of the Prosecutor regarding the reported abduction and murder of Mr. Meshak Yebei The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) reiterates its condolences to the family of Mr. Meshak Yebei.  Every loss of life is a unique and profound tragedy for the family that is left to mourn.  The perpetrators of this heinous crime must swiftly and decisively be brought to justice.  The Office of the Prosecutor reiterates its willingness to assist the competent authorities of the Republic of Kenya, as appropriate, to effectively investigate the circumstances of Mr. Yebei’s death. The Office of the Prosecutor wishes to address recent speculation alleging the involvement of the Office in Mr. Yebei’s tragic demise.  The Office of the Prosecutor wishes to categorically state that any suggestion that the Office of the Prosecutor was involved in Mr. Yebei’s alleged abduction and murder is both outrageous and utterly false.  Nothing could be further from the truth. To avoid any doubt, the Prosecution wishes to clarify the public record regarding Mr. Yebei’s status in the context of the Prosecutor’s case against Messrs. Ruto and Sang.  During the course of the Prosecution’s investigations, the Office of the Prosecutor contacted numerous individuals in Kenya, including Mr. Yebei.  However, Mr. Yebei was ultimately not included on the Prosecution’s list of trial witnesses due to, amongst other reasons, information indicating that Mr. Yebei was deeply implicated in the scheme to corrupt Prosecution witnesses in the case against Mr. Ruto and Mr. Sang. Prosecution witnesses in this case have been under siege.  The Office of the Prosecutor has identified a network of individuals who have been working together to sabotage the Prosecution’s case against Messrs. Ruto and Sang, by using bribes and/or threats to either dissuade witnesses from testifying in this case or influence Prosecution witnesses to recant their testimony. In this context, on 2 August 2013, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Walter Osapiri Barasa on charges of interfering with ICC witnesses, contrary to Article 70(1)(c) of the Rome Statute.  The surrender of Mr. Barasa to the ICC remains outstanding. The Office of the Prosecutor continues to monitor and investigate other incidents of witness interference.  Investigations and prosecutions before the International Criminal Court can stand or fall on the willingness of witnesses to come forward and present their evidence in the courtroom.  The Office of the Prosecutor will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that witnesses are able to present their evidence before the Court without fear.
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