Dr. Thanat Khoman
Among those who were deeply saddened by the tragic death of President Kennedy was Dr. Thanat Khoman, Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Thanat strongly believed in the ideals and vision of President Kennedy. Not even a month following the death of the American president, using his personal funds, Dr.Thanat established the John F. Kennedy Foundation of Thailand to honor President Kennedy and to further those ideals.Dr. Thanat spent much of his diplomatic career working toward many of the same goals as had John Kennedy, and his contributions are evident today. The regional organization known as ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) was created largely through his skill in diplomacy and determination to promote regional reconciliation and cooperation. His strong promotion of education led to the creation in 1959 of the SEATO Graduate School, which later became the Asian Institute of Technology, and in 1967, the establishment of the Prince of Songkla University.
In 2023, the John F. Kennedy Foundation of Thailand marks 60 years of furthering the goals and ideals of these two men.