Swedish Consulate Officially Opens In Hua Hin

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Swedish Consulate Officially Opens in Hua Hin

news Wachiraporn Janrut

HUA HIN: -- On Friday 14 September 2012, the Swedish Consulate in Hua Hin was officially opened at the Dusit Thani Hua Hin in the presence of Swedish Ambassador Mr. Klas Molin, Petchaburi Governor Khun Vinai Buapradit, local government authorities, high ranked police officers and many Swedes living in Hua Hin. The honorary consul is Khun Victor Sukseree, General Manager of the Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel.

Almost a hundred Swedes gathered at the opening ceremony of the Swedish Consulate on Friday afternoon. Swedish Ambassador Mr. Klas Molin started his speech by welcoming guests and thanking local authorities for their cooperation.

“One of the largest, if not the largest, concentrations of Swedish people in Thailand is right here in Hua Hin. And that figure is still increasing faster than anywhere else in Thailand,” said the Ambassador, who also stated that the consulate in Hua Hin has the most attractive office location he has ever seen.

He told the audience how Swedes living in Hua Hin can now turn to Khun Victor, who knows a lot about Sweden and its customs, and his staff for assistance.

“Many things we used to take care of in Bangkok will be taken care of locally through expert hands and experienced people working for you and working with us in servicing this area and community,” said the Ambassador.

He stressed the unique and strong relationship between Thailand and Sweden. With the number of Swedes entering Thailand falling between 350,000 to 450,000 people every year, and an increased number of Thais travelling to Sweden, the bilateral relationship is strong in all areas from the royal households, governments, to business and other developments.

He finished his speech with an informal quote made by Sweden’s Minister of Foreigner Affairs, Mr. Carl Bildt, when he met Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck shinawatra at the government house in April this year: “Regardless of the distance apart, we are actually neighboring countries. I don’t think we have as many Swedes visiting Norway, Denmark, or Finland as we do have here in Thailand.”

The second speaker was Petchaburi Governor, Khun Vinai Buapradit.

He said that he has been to Sweden twice and is impressed with the beauty of the country and friendliness of the people.

“I’m pleased with the strong relationship between the two countries and would like to welcome Swedes who live in the areas. Congratulations on having the consulate here,” said Khun Vinai.

The new consul Khun Victor Sukseree was the last person giving a speech before the ribbon was cut.

“It’s an honor and privileged to be appointed this honorable position,” said Khun Victor. “More importantly, it’s a great pleasure for me to be of service to the local Swedish community.

“With the opening of this new consulate, we are not only providing a much needed service in Hua Hin, but we’re also illustrating the strong bond between the two countries which is something we are proud of.”

After a dinner, Chairman of Swedish Association in Hua Hin Mr. Gert Andersson expressed his delight with the establishment of the new consulate. According to him, the Swedish association in Hua Hin has over 800 members.

Mr. Andersson congratulated Khun Victor and handed him a gift which is a basket filled with Swedish delicacies including a glass of marinated herring, a can of pickled or matjes-herring, a bottle of Swedish snaps, Pirantens besk, Kalles Kaviar and a package of hard bread called ‘knackebrod’.

For more information, contact 032 522421 or e-mail: [email protected]

Source: http://www.scandasia...66&coun_code=se

-- ScandAsia 2012-09-17

[easybullet3]

I remember Sweden was CLOSING many of its Embassies around the world to make "cut-backs".

so WHY? why? why on earth do they need a consulate in HUA HIN??????

its a 3 hour drive to bangkok!!! surely if they are going to waste money on another consulate, then put it somewhere that is more useful to PEOPLE!!

there are LOADS of swedish around Phi-Phi island and Krabi,,, so how about a consulate there?

for me, it seems silly to open a consulate just a few hours away from the bangkok main Embassy.

[luckyman]

I remember Sweden was CLOSING many of its Embassies around the world to make "cut-backs".

so WHY? why? why on earth do they need a consulate in HUA HIN??????

its a 3 hour drive to bangkok!!! surely if they are going to waste money on another consulate, then put it somewhere that is more useful to PEOPLE!!

there are LOADS of swedish around Phi-Phi island and Krabi,,, so how about a consulate there?

for me, it seems silly to open a consulate just a few hours away from the bangkok main Embassy.

Because there are 3000 Swedes living there!! That's a huge number not only when compared with other Nationalities living in HH, but also when you look at their country's total population number...(less than 10 million)