UK Ambassador To Thailand Asif Ahmad Makes Full Use Of The Social Media

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Tweeting all Britons

By VEENA THOOPKRAJAE

THE NATION

UK Ambassador Asif Ahmad makes full use of the social media, whether ensuring expatriates' safety or chatting with Thais about football

British Ambassador Asif Ahmad arrived in Bangkok last May to be greeted by the political storm that followed the street carnage. A year later he's been dealing with a storm of natural disasters in the country's North and South.

During the ongoing flood crisis Ahmad has been on call around the clock as the embassy strives to assist the estimated 3,000 British nationals affected.

He's almost always online, using the embassy's website (UKInThailand.fco.gov) and Twitter account (@ukinthailand) and his own (@AsifAAhmad) to reach fellow expatriates.

In fact it was Ahmad who "broke" the news that the Royal Thai Navy ship rescuing tourists on Koh Tao was taking them to Sattahip rather than the closer Bang Sapan.

This level of dedication is evident to other Twitter users. Ahmad's updates on embassy affairs are a wonder to behold - and so are his tweets about his beloved Liverpool Football Club.

The ambassador might apologise in "tweet Thai", "Phood pha-sah Thai mai dai", but he's garnered lots of admiration with his Liverpool commentary, including the exultant tweet "GOALLLL".

We had a chat with him - face to face, using actual spoken language, and then by e-mail - about life as a diplomat, his responsibilities - and the upcoming royal wedding.

Does the embassy have any specific plans for the wedding of Prince William on April 29?

Everyone we speak to is interested in the royal wedding. It is a lifting feeling. Every marriage, regardless of royalty or commoners, is positive, and that's why we see people crying at weddings.

People still remember the wedding of Prince William's parents, too.

The British Women's Club in Bangkok will have an event that day starting at 3pm and coinciding with the events in London. The ambassador's residence will also have a function that we hope will involve young Thais who are connected or have interests in the UK.

What got you started on Twitter?

I only just started in January, here in Bangkok. It gives me very quick access to breaking news. I can connect with people other than those I meet officially. I get a sense of what a cross-section of tweeters in Thailand are thinking.

Twitter gives me a voice beyond official statements and adds to what everyone can read on our embassy website.

I don't think it's possible to be a representative of your country and have a purely personal communication medium. What I can do with the social media is be more multidimensional. I can share personal interests, such as sport, and I also hope it will become obvious that diplomats are humans too, and we can have fun - even if we have to be serious.

Are you in touch with a lot of Thais on Twitter?

Yes, and the variety is immense. The core connection between me and my tweeple community is football, and Liverpool in particular. Some people give me tips on where to shop or dine out.

It's also really good that I'm getting some help decoding slang Thai and regular Thai. Thai lessons by Twitter - is that a first?

A few people will naturally try and test whether I have a red, yellow, blue or whatever colour preference in politics. So I reply with "rainbows".

What really helps is when tweeple with bigger followings than me RT [re-tweet my messages]. That gives me extended reach and my own follower numbers grow with it.

Diplomacy requires the cautious use of words and a special protocol, whereas communication on the social media is quite casual. How do you deal with the difference?

Winston Churchill once apologised that his letter was long because he didn't have time to write a shorter one. A tweet is sometimes hard to write if you're trying to convey a precise view on a big topic. One person wanted me to summarise our Middle East policy in a tweet!

Just because the social media are casual, it doesn't mean I can be careless. I speak for my country and therefore have to choose my words carefully. But that shouldn't stop me from saying things that are interesting or have meaning.

And if you read some of my Tweets carefully you might spot the odd truth or real view masked by humour or a play on words.

The best rule to observe for me is to think whether I would be happy seeing what I say in a newspaper, and could I explain my actions to my ministers in London. Sometimes the best way to deal with a tweet that crosses the line is to be silent.

Do you think the social media will alter diplomacy's evolution?

Diplomacy has to reflect and deal with the world as it is. News no longer comes from traditional journalists. Anyone with a mobile phone is a reporter.

In my last job in London I was responsible for the global effort we launched to raise awareness of the situation in Burma and the detention of Aung San Su Kyi. We used Twitter, Facebook and a Web campaign that engaged millions of people right across the world. There are no other media that give you such global reach.

I think the social media will make it easier for us to engage people in our work more directly, whether the issue is human rights, climate change or conflict-prevention. In our service to the public, social media allows us to put information to people the way they want to get it, rather than making people bend to our system.

E-diplomacy is still in its infancy. The Web is becoming more universal but that's a somewhat passive notice board, and it's only good if it's current and useable. Some major political developments, including elections, have been influenced by the immediacy and reach of the social media.

What I can say with some certainty is that we will see more use of the social media by diplomats. I just hope that in the process we don't suck out the joy from the interactions people have. So we need to tweet with energy, verve and a bit of fun.

Plus, the limit is message size is a good antidote to the bureaucrat's penchant for pompous verbosity.

British envoy in touch on Twitter

Do you still read newspaper?

The two English-language papers are consumed with my breakfast every morning in Bangkok. I desperately miss my cover-to-cover read of my daily British paper. It's not quite the same as the online versions, but the Web version is better than nothing.

When you have the paper, you read the full article or because something catches your eye, or you ignore the page that's not for you. Online you have to click the link and read it before you realise you don't want to know!

Why are you a Liverpool fan? You were born on Chelsea turf!

I was born just a few miles from Stamford Bridge, so I should have been a Chelsea fan, but I left the UK when I was four and returned in 1973 when I was 17 and stayed with my dad's brother in Carlisle. That's just about as north as you can get in England.

At the time I was much more of a player of sports than a watcher - tennis, cricket, football and American football. Yes, honestly - I was a linebacker and offensive tackle!

Being new to the city I didn't connect with any local teams to play for, so I watched sport on TV, and Liverpool was one of the nearest clubs - and quite simply the best. I got caught up in the fervour and passion that surrounds LFC that's so unique.

I was also a John Lennon fan from my early teens, so the Liverpool connection was already in my mind. And I've passed on the Liverpool fever to my sons - who were born Reds!

You do realise that half of Thai football fans root for Manchester United, right?

I don't know about the 50-50 split, but I know what is the better half. I am convinced that Liverpool is the best-supported club in Thailand.

The Koppites here understand the passion, emotion and joy of being a "Fan Hong". This is uncannily how it is in England, where all fans agree that Anfield has a special atmosphere.

If I see a Thai wearing an LFC shirt, it lifts my spirits - and the red orphans at Wat Sa Kaew were a really positive sight for me.

As a UK diplomat, I am of course thrilled that Thais recognise the English Premier League as the most exciting and watchable competition.

Have you ever been tempted to compare Thailand's political divide to the Man U-Liverpool rivalry?

Football is my release from the weight of my job, an escape from politics, so I would hate to mix the symbolism of football with politics. The rivalry with Manchester United is real, but not violent.

But I do chuckle when I see some of the red-shirt protesters wearing British football jerseys on the streets of Bangkok. Its seems that some supporters can put aside their club affiliations and come together for the sake of their politics.

What else besides a shared love of football impresses you about Thais?

I first visited Thailand in 1967 and then very regularly in the last 30 years. I have a Thai friend I went to school with in 1971-73 who remains a friend today. So I don't have just a fresh impression of Thailand!

The deepest impression of Thais that I have is that you are gracious.

Describe Thailand in one sentence.

Thailand consoles my Asian heart and taste buds, but can at times confuse my Western-trained professional mind.

Have a favourite Thai dish yet?

Any dish involving pla. I love fish - dried, fried or steamed, but not raw!

-- The Nation 2011-04-05

[londonthai]

great dedication to his job and transparency. Well done, ambassador.

politics should leave from behind the closed doors

[Somtamnication]

Very refreshing and professional.

Wonder what the locals think, a UK ambassador with a strange name and not white skinned. Arai wa? Will we ever see a Mr. John Smith, Thailand´s Defense Minister? (King Monghut, back in the late 1880s or thereabouts, had a farang Defense Minister).

[saraburioz]

Very refreshing and professional.

Wonder what the locals think, a UK ambassador with a strange name and not white skinned. Arai wa? Will we ever see a Mr. John Smith, Thailand´s Defense Minister? (King Monghut, back in the late 1880s or thereabouts, had a farang Defense Minister).

As an Australian, I bloody shocked!

[Oberkommando]

a UK ambassador with a strange name and not white skinned.

I'm more concerned that he's a bin-dipper.

[Insight]

I can confirm this guy is responsive to embassy complaints - a good example of a worthwhile use for Twitter