On December 5, 2017 the Royal Thai Embassy and the Team Thailand in Washington, DC hosted a reception at the Fairmont Hotel to celebrate Thailand National Day and commemorate the Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It was also an occasion to mark Father’s Day for Thailand and the United Nations World Soil Day, which was held annually to honor His Majesty the late King Bhumibol for his works on soil resources development, especially agricultural development.

The event was attended by over 500 friends of Thailand from various U.S. Government agencies, U.S. Congress, diplomatic corps, business community, media, academia, think tanks, and the Thai community in Washington, DC and nearby areas.

The Royal Thai Embassy was honored to have Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, who is the first Thai-American to serve as a Senator, and Dr. Joseph H. Felter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, as Guests of Honor for the event.

At the event, Mrs. Pattrawan Vechasart, Charge d’Affairs of Thailand to the United States, warmly welcomed all friends of Thailand who gathered at the event to show friendship and solidarity with Thailand and the Thai people. She conveyed the Thai people’s sense of appreciation toward American friends who were by their side during the period of grief following the passing of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol in October 2016. She praised the firm and enduring foundation of the Thailand-U.S. alliance that His Majesty the late King Bhumibol had laid down. This foundation, she believed, would become even stronger, as Thailand and the United States continue to enhance their cooperation in all fields of common interest.

Charge d’Affaires Pattrawan spoke about the positive momentum of the bilateral relations which reflected in a series of high-level engagements and the successful visit by the Prime Minister of Thailand to Washington, DC in October this year. Going forward, she was confident that the alliance and strategic partnership between Thailand and the United States would become even closer and would yield greater benefits to the peoples of both countries. She also paid tribute to the Thai-American communities throughout America that have been playing a key role on fostering mutual understanding and goodwill between the two cultures at the people-to-people level.

On her part, Senator Duckworth recalled her long-lasting impression of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol who had worked tirelessly for the well-being of the people, and how His Majesty has been a role model for her own work for public service.

Speaking on behalf of the U.S. Government, Dr. Felter, who is a top Pentagon official on Southeast Asia, recalled his good memory of working closely with Thai military officials in Thailand when he was still serving in the military service. He hailed the positive momentum of the alliance and believed that the bilateral cooperation would continue to be enhanced in the years ahead.

Among the guests were Dianne Farrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia of the Commerce Department; Patricia Mahoney, Director for Mainland Southeast Asia of the State Department; and Professor Doctor Morton Mower, co-inventor of the Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD) and Prince Mahidol Award 2015 Laureate in the field of medicine, who traveled from Colorado with his wife to join the event. Zach Blackmon, Jr., who is the 4th generation of direct descendants of the original Siamese Twin, drove for 5 hours from North Carolina to participate in the event, reflecting the unbreakable bonds of friendship between the peoples of both countries.

During the event, guests also enjoyed Thai traditional music, Thai classical dance, authentic Thai food from Thai restaurants that participated in the Thai Select project, Thai silk and orchid exhibitions, and sample local Thai products.