BANGKOK: Former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and wife, Tun Jeanne Abdullah today visited the Former Asean secretary-general and Thai foreign minister Tan Sri Dr Surin Pitsuwan’s grave.
The fifth Malaysian prime minister arrived at the Muslim cemetery adjacent to the Tha-It Mosque in Nonthaburi, Bangkok where the statesman’s remains were laid to rest.
Also present were Malaysian ambassador to Thailand Datuk Jojie Samuel, Chairman of Pertubuhan Legasi Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Meanwhile, Datuk Jefridin Atan and Fellow in Islamic Studies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Datuk Dr Afifi al-Akiti would hold commemorative lectures at Pondok Bantan.
Surin was Thailand’s deputy foreign minister from 1992 to 1995 and rose to become the country’s foreign minister from 1997 to 2001.
He was named Asean secretary-general on Jan 1, 2008. During his tenure as Asean’s secretary-general for five years, Surin accomplished many feats on the diplomatic front.
The scholar-turned-politician and polished diplomat died from heart failure in November 30 in 2017
Surin, a native of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, is survived by widow, Alisa and three children.
Later, Tun Abdullah and Tun Jeanne paid a visit to Alisa at her residence at Rattanathibet Road, Nonthaburi. They spent about an hour at the residence.
Tun Abdullah, who arrived in Bangkok today, is on a three-day official visit to Thailand.
He is scheduled to officiate the “Memorial Talk on Dr Surin Pitsuwan” at Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand on Tuesday.
