17 Facts About Surakiart Sathirathai

Surakiart Sathirathai is a Thai politician who, until September 19,2006, a Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand overseeing Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture.

Surakiart Sathirathai is former President of the Asian Society of International Law and former President of the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council.

Surakiart Sathirathai's father was Sunthorn Sathirathai, former Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Thai Ministry of Finance, and his mother was Kuakoon Sawat-chuto Sathirathai, Professor in French literature at Chulalongkorn University.

Surakiart Sathirathai was the first Thai to earn a doctorate in law from Harvard Law School.

Surakiart Sathirathai's doctoral thesis, "An Understanding of the Relationship Among International Legal Discourse About Development, Third World Countries, and International Peace," explored the global trade law regime from the perspective of the third world.

Surakiart Sathirathai later co-edited Third World Attitudes Toward International Law: An Introduction and authored various articles on law and development including "Peace and Security: The Challenge and the Promise", 41 Texas International Law Journal 513.

In 1995, Dr Surakiart Sathirathai became Thailand's youngest Finance Minister under Prime Minister Banharn Silapa-Archa.

Surakiart Sathirathai's supporters maintain that although he inherited a national economy beset by structural challenges that ultimately exposed it to the Thai financial crisis, Dr Surakiart Sathirathai designed and implemented reforms that, while deeply unpopular, moved the economy in the right direction and have become an essential part of Thailand's economic policy.

On 8 March 2001, Surakiart Sathirathai make a two-day official visit to Malaysia to enhance relations between the two countries.

Surakiart Sathirathai was rumored to have the backing of China, a permanent member of the Security Council.

However, Surakiart Sathirathai's supporters contended that he spearheaded Thailand's "prosper thy neighbor" policy of regional economic coordination and that his quiet diplomatic style had helped resolve numerous long-standing regional disputes.

Surakiart Sathirathai scored 7 encouragements, 3 discouragements, and 5 no opinions.

Opposition to Surakiart Sathirathai has been especially vocal among the Jayanama family of Thai diplomats.

Surakiart Sathirathai responded by accusing Asda of defaming him and threatened to file a defamation suit if he didn't stop attacking him in public.

Surakiart Sathirathai transferred Asda's younger brother Apipong Jayanama to become head of the Institute of Foreign Affairs.

Surakiart Sathirathai is married to Thanpuying Dr Suthawan Sathirathai, a niece to the Queen of Thailand, who holds several advanced degrees including a doctorate in Land Economy from the University of Cambridge.

In keeping with Thai tradition, Dr Surakiart Sathirathai spent a period as a monk in a Buddhist monastery.