On 28 August I hosted a special media event to celebrate the handover of the Summer Olympics to London and the success of Thai, British and Chinese athletes during the Beijing games. Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jiuhuan, Olympic gold medallist Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon, and other senior members of the Weight Lifting Association of Thailand joined me in raising the 2012 London Olympics Handover flag in the Residence garden.

I visited HSBC on 25 August and met Willie Tham, CEO and Asdaporn Vanabriksha, Chief Operating Officer. I also had the chance to talk to several other HSBC staff during a tour of the building including the trading room and call centre.

I was very impresssed by what I learnt about HSBC's acitivities in Thailand. It  was the first foreign bank to open for business in Thailand and has a complement of over 1,000 staf, providing a full range of corporate and personal banking services.

For corporate activity, HSBC adopts the Group's guidelines , focusing on education, the environment and the community. For example, the 'HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards' are designed to nurture talent and provide scholarships and financial literacy training; the 'Green School Ecological Footprint project' with the British Embassy and the British Council builds sustainable business practices for future generations .

    

On 20 August, I was invited together with Mr. Apirak Kosayothin, Governor of Bangkok and Mr. Thepchai Yong, CEO of ThaiPBS by the British Council to give a speech at the opening of the Transforming Public Spaces Scheme on 21 August at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. This project is under the British Council called Creative Cities Programme which looks at developing the essential features of creative cities.


On 13 August, I hosted a reception at the Residence to bid farewell to Mr. Andy Pearce, Deputy Head of Mission and to welcome his successor, Mr. Danny Pruce.

From left: Mr. Danny Pruce, Dr. Jingjai Hanchanlash, Mr. Kiatchai Pongpanich, H.E. Mr. Quinton Quayle, Mr. Vikrom Koompirochana, Mr. Andy Pearce and  Dr. Vitit Muntarbhorn.