Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN General Secretary and former Foreign Minister of Thailand, was conferred of the Degree of Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa by the University of Bristol, on March 31, 2008. University of Bristol is one of the most famous universities in the U.K. Sir Winston Churchill was the Chancellor from 1929 to 1965.
Amitav Acharya, Professor of Global Governance, University of Bristol, provided an oration in this conferment ceremony. Dr. Surin was conferred for his outstanding records on (from Prof. Amitav Acharya's oration):
"First, there is the Surin the academician, blessed with a powerful intellect, the highest level education in both the east and the west, and a man of ideas that are often ahead of their time.
Then there is the Surin the people’s man, (I am deliberately not using the term politician) a man from the ivory tower who has his feet firmly on the ground, and who, unlike leaders of some Asian countries, actually contests and wins elections conducted freely and fairly
And last but not the least, there is Surin the statesman, from being foreign minister of a crisis-stricken nation desperately mobilizing international help, to being the secretary-general of the developing world’s most successful regional organization, a member and adviser to several of the world’s brain trusts.
The University of Bristol recognizes his substantial accomplishments of Surin the academician, Surin the people’s man and Surin the statesman. It recognizes his potential as ASEAN Secretary General to make a further significant contribution to the well-being of Southeast Asia and the international community."
Dr. Surin received his Ph.D from Harvard University, and the Degree of Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa from the University of Bristol has made him one of the rarest persons to have the best from two very prominent academic institutions in the left and right sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Congratulations, Dr. Dr. Surin Pitsuwan.
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