[Austin & Chiang-Mai Thailand Diplomat News Conference]
[00:00:08]
SO, WITH, UH, ANY FURTHER, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR, UH, UH, COUNCIL GENERAL LISA EZ TO SAY A FEW WORDS HERE FOR US TO GET STARTED.
IT'S AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO WITNESS TODAY THE LAUNCH OF A FORMAL RELATIONSHIP OF COOPERATION BETWEEN MY HOMETOWN AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND MY NEW HOME, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE, UH, SAY A SINCERE THANK YOU TO MAYOR WATSON FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING US THE EXPERTISE FROM YOUR OFFICE, NAMELY ABDULLAH MAHMUD.
UM, I KNOW WHO'S HERE, UM, WHO'S BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN LEADING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PILLAR OF THE AUSTIN CHIANG, MY SISTER CITIES INITIATIVE, AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO GOVERNOR NIRA WHO'S LEADING THIS DELEGATION OF 30 OFFICIALS, POLICE OFFICERS, ACADEMICS, AND BUSINESS LEADERS FROM THAILAND TO TEXAS.
GOVERNOR NIRA HAS BEEN A STEADFAST PARTNER OF THE US CONSULATE GENERAL IN CHIANG MAI, AND I'M SO HAPPY THAT WE CAN PARTNER IN THIS WAY TO FORGE A CLOSER PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN OUR TWO CITIES FOR DECADES TO COME.
THIS YEAR MARKS THE 190TH ANNIVERSARY OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THAILAND.
THAILAND IS UNITED STATES' OLDEST PARTNER AND ALLY IN THE ENTIRE ASIA-PACIFIC SINCE THE 1833 SIGNING OF THE TREATY OF AMITY AND COMMERCE BETWEEN OUR TWO NATIONS.
THIS SHARED HISTORY ENCOMPASSES EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS THAT ESTABLISHED THE FIRST HOSPITALS IN NURSING SCHOOLS IN NORTHERN THAILAND, INCLUDING MCCORMICK HOSPITAL.
THE US GOVERNMENT ALSO HELPED ESTABLISH CHANG MA UNIVERSITY'S FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND PINEAPPLE UNIVERSITY'S LAW SCHOOL IN CENTRAL LIBRARY.
US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EXPERTISE INTRODUCED NEW CROPS IN NORTHERN THAILAND, SUCH AS COFFEE, TEA, MUSHROOMS, PEACHES, AND POTATOES.
US THAI SCIENTIFIC PARTNERSHIPS PRODUCE NEW VACCINES, INCLUDING THE FIRST VACCINE TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV, WHICH IS NOW USED WORLDWIDE.
SO OUR PARTNERSHIPS HAVE NOT ONLY BENEFITED OUR TWO COUNTRIES, BUT PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD IN THINKING OF HOW WE COULD ELEVATE THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH NORTHERN THAILAND.
WE, OF COURSE, RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL IN THIS PLATFORM.
WHEN ENVISIONING AMERICAN CITIES WITH COMMENSURATE POPULATION INDUSTRIES SUCH AS ART, CULTURE, FOOD FILM, SMART AGRICULTURE AND DIGITAL ECONOMY, SPIRIT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SECURITY CHALLENGES, AUSTIN, TEXAS SEEMED THE PERFECT FIT FOR CHIANG MAI.
AS WE HOPE THIS LAUNCH WILL LEAD TO A 60 YEAR PARTNERSHIP, WE LOOK TO DEEPEN NORTHERN THAILAND'S LINKS TO UNITED STATES ACROSS FOUR PILLARS, CONNECTING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN AUSTIN AND CHIANG MAI, PROMOTING MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TRADE INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, FOSTERING NEW EDUCATION AND CULTURAL PARTNERSHIPS, AND EXPANDING LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING AND COOPERATION.
NOW, AS A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER FOR THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, IT HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE RECRUITING AND NOW ACTIVE AUSTIN CHAIN, MY VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
SO ABLY LED BY WT P I'M GONNA SAY YOUR NAME WRONG, THAI AMERICAN, AND AS HE MENTIONED, A 30 YEAR VETERAN OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND WE LOOK TO THE AUSTIN BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN CHIANG MAI TO DEEPEN AND EXPAND THIS PARTNERSHIP IN THE MONTHS AHEAD WITH OUR COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT.
SO THANK YOU TO QUINTA, OUR ENTIRE AUSTIN CHIANG MAI, SISTER CITIES BOARD OF DIRECTORS, MAYOR WATSON, GODA NIRO, AND YOUR OFFICES, AND ALL THE DELEGATION MEMBERS WHO TRAVELED FROM THAILAND TO LAUNCH THIS PARTNERSHIP.
TODAY IS A HISTORIC DAY FOR THE US THAILAND RELATIONSHIP.
IS GOING TO TRANSLATE A LITTLE BIT.
[00:07:49]
NOW WE'LL HAVE, UH, MAYOR WATSON COME UP HERE AND MAKE A FEW REMARKS.GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO AUSTIN, AND WELCOME TO OUR CITY HALL AND THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
WE'RE VERY PROUD, UH, TO HAVE YOU, UH, WITH US AND GOVERNOR, THANK YOU AND ALL THE DIGNITARIES THAT HAVE JOINED YOU.
UH, THERE ARE A COUPLE PEOPLE I WANT TO INTRODUCE.
UH, FIRST I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO OUR COUNCIL GENERAL, UH, BECAUSE, UH, IT'S NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT IS A HOMEGROWN AUSTINITE PLAYING SUCH A PROMINENT ROLE IN WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE AN IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN, UH, OUR, OUR, OUR JURISDICTIONS.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO TANK.
UM, TANK HAS BEEN A FRIEND OF MINE, UH, FOR 25 TO 30 YEARS, AND WE HAVE WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER ON, ON DIFFERENT, ON DIFFERENT THINGS, UH, OVER THE YEARS.
BUT THIS MAY BE THE SINGLE BIGGEST, MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE'VE WORKED ON TOGETHER, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT.
I ALSO WANT TO INTRODUCE OUR CHIEF OF POLICE, ROBIN HENDERSON, WHO IS HERE WITH US TODAY.
UH, THE, THE CHIEF, UH, IT PLAYS A VERY IMPORTANT AND PROMINENT ROLE IN OUR CITY, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE ROLE THAT, UH, THAT WE, WE END UP HAVING AS WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND, AND THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN COMMON, UH, THAT, THAT OUR AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL PLAY A, A, A PROMINENT ROLE IN DOING THAT.
UM, AND, AND WE ALSO HAVE, AS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT, UM, MEMBERS OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND OUR FOR IN OUR FOREIGN RELATIONS DEPARTMENT.
AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO SOVIA AND, AND ABDULLAH AND, AND, AND, AND OUR, OUR WONDERFUL SISTER CITY, UH, DIGNITARY CHRISTIE WHO, WHO SHE, SHE'S BEEN DOING THIS FOREVER.
UM, AND, UH, LIZ AND I, I, FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, I WAS MAYOR ONE TIME BEFORE, UH, I WAS MAYOR
[00:10:01]
FROM 1997 TO 2001, UH, WHICH SAYS I'M A SLOW LEARNER.UH, BUT, UM, BUT WE WORKED EVEN BACK THEN ON, ON THESE PROGRAMS. WITH, WITH THAT, LET ME SAY THAT I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT AUSTIN, TEXAS IS IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A GREAT INTERNATIONAL CITY.
WE HAVE HAD ENORMOUS AND EXPLOSIVE GROWTH WHERE IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, AUSTIN WENT FROM BEING A COLLEGE TOWN, THAT STATE GOVERNMENT WAS THE DOMINANT PART OF OUR ECONOMY TO NOW WHERE WE ARE A FOCAL POINT IN A WORLDWIDE ECONOMY.
BUT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR AUSTIN TO MATURE IN THAT ROLE.
AND ONE OF THE WAYS WE DO THAT IS BY LEARNING FROM OTHERS, BEING A PART OF A INTERNATIONAL FABRIC WITH OTHERS.
AND THIS RELATIONSHIP IS ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT IN OUR BEING ABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT.
SO GOVERNOR, I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR RELATIONSHIP.
I LOOK FORWARD TO AUSTIN PLAYING A ROLE THAT IS BENEFICIAL AND HELPFUL TO YOU, BUT I EQUALLY LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING AND AUSTIN LEARNING FROM WHAT WE CAN BE TAUGHT SO THAT WE CAN TAKE A PLACE AS A GREAT INTERNATIONAL CITY AND YOU WILL PLAY A PROMINENT ROLE IN THAT.
NOW I'D LIKE TO INVITE UP, UH, CHIANG MAI.
GOVERNOR NARA F JUAN, PLEASE COME UP THE MR. KIRK WASSAN, THE MAYOR OF AUSTIN STUDENT, THIS GUEST READY AND GENTLEMAN ON BEHALF OF XANG MAI PROVINCE IS MY PREACHER TO BE HERE TODAY AS ONE OF THE HISTORICAL DAY BETWEEN THAILAND AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WISH TO EXTEND MY GRATITUDE TO MR. KIRK WATSON, THE MAYOR OF AUSTIN AND OUR BATTERY INVOLVED FOR HOSTING THIS VIRTUAL MOU SIGNING CEREMONY AND
[00:15:01]
RECEIVING US WITH A VERY WARM WELCOME CHEN.MY ANG PARTNER OF TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF, UH, THAILAND.
CHIANG MAI PROVINCE IS PROUD OF OUR HISTORICAL, UNIQUE CULTURE AND TRADITIONS, BEAUTY OF NATURE, ABUNDANT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, AND QUALITY EDUCATION, UH, INSTITUTIONS.
TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN THE CHIANG MAI, UM, ARE THE IMPORTANT DRIVING FORCE OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY.
CHEN MAI PROVINCE PLACES IMPORTANT ON DEVELOPING COOPERATION WITH, UH, FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND COUNTER OUR COMMON CHALLENGES.
WE SHARE EXPERIENCES AND EXCHANGE TECHNOLOGY AND WISDOM.
BY SIGNING THE MOU BETWEEN ANG MAI AND AUSTIN, WE SOLIDIFIED OUR FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN OUR CITIES.
TODAY, OUR FORMER RELATIONS BEGINS AND WE INTEND TO COOPERATE ON TRADE INVESTMENT TECHNOLOGY, CREATIVE ARMY EDUCATION, TOURISM, CULTURE, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND ANY AREA THAT WE MAY FURTHER EXPLORE.
I REAFFIRMED CHIANG MA'S COMMITMENT IN PARTNERING WITH AUSTIN TO PROMOTE MOSHA BENEFITS AND HAPPINESS FOR BOTH THAI AND AMERICAN PEOPLE.
NOW WE'LL HAVE THE MAYOR AND THE GOVERNOR COME UP HERE.
WE'LL DO THE SIGNING CHIEF MEMBER'S, HUH? IT'S UP TO YOU.
CAN WE ASK, UM, THE REST MEMBER, DEPART MEMBER DEPARTMENT AND DEPUTY PETERSON.
[00:21:03]
GOVERNOR, I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT YOU WITH THIS GIFT, A SMALL TOKEN OF HOW DEEPLY WE FEEL ABOUT THIS, UH, RELATIONSHIP.THIS IS, UH, IT REPRESENTS A COUPLE OF THINGS ABOUT OUR, OUR CITY, OUR BEAUTIFUL SKYLINE, BUT ALSO OUR COMMITMENT TO CREATIVE ARTS SUCH AS MUSIC.
AND THIS, UH, I AM TOLD THAT IT IS PART OF A WAFER SHIFT, A FULL WAFER SHIFT.
SO PART OF OUR TECHNOLOGY AND SEMICONDUCTOR VERY, OH YES, VERY.
SO THIS IS THE CELADON, THE HANDMADE CERAMIC FROM CHIANG MAI.
AND, UH, THE ELEPHANT IS THE SYMBOL OF THE CITY.
IF YOU DON'T MIND, PLEASE, PLEASE.
SO WE HAD THESE ALSO MADE FOR YOU, SIR, FOR BOTH OF YOU.
SO THIS ONE IS THE, THE COIN OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL, AND IT SAYS, MAYOR KIRK WATSON, THANK YOU FOR LAUNCHING THE AUSTIN CHANG, MY SISTER CITIES RELATIONSHIP, NOVEMBER, 2023.
SO IT IS AN AMERICAN FLAG, UM, THAT HAS BEEN ETCHED.
WE ALSO DID THIS IN AN ARTISAN THAT HAS ITS OWN STANDS.
WE WILL DISPLAY THIS IN THE DISPLAY CASE DIRECTLY OUTSIDE OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
WE WANTED TO ALSO HAVE THE SAME ONE, THE GOVERNOR THAT YOU HAVE, MATCHING ONES.
SO THIS ONE SAYS, GOVERNOR NI, THANK YOU FOR LAUNCHING THE AUSTIN CHAIN.
MY SISTER CITIES RELATIONSHIP, NOVEMBER, 2023.
I'M HAVING THANK YOU AMBASSADOR.
JUST TOLD THAT THE AMBASSADOR OF TI THAILAND IS, IT WILL APPEAR IN JUST A, A MOMENT OR TWO.
SO, UH, WE WILL WAIT JUST A MOMENT SO WE CAN BE READY FOR THAT.
[00:25:17]
UH, WHILE WE, WHILE WE WAIT, THERE WAS ONE PERSON I SHOULD HAVE INTRODUCED, AND THAT'S MY WIFE, UH, LIZSHE'S BEEN VERY INVOLVED IN THE SISTER CITY PROGRAM, UH, AND MANY TIMES, UH, MAKES, GOES PLACES ON MY BEHALF.
MOST RECENTLY, SHE WENT TO FLORENCE, ITALY ON MY BEHALF, BUT SHE WAS VERY INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF A NUMBER OF AUSTIN SISTER CITY PROGRAMS, AND I APPRECIATE HER BEING HERE.
I'M JUST INFORMED THAT THE AMBASSADOR IS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO JOIN US.
SO WHAT WE WILL DO IS TAKE A GROUP PICTURE OF, BECAUSE THIS IS AN EXCITING DAY AND WE WANT TO KEEP, BUT WE WANT A RECORD OF THAT IS, SO IF YOU'LL PLEASE JOIN US, PUT THE FLAGS.
WE CAN GET EVERYBODY JUST TO STEP BACK ALONG THE WALL, WE'LL HAVE PEOPLE, UH, THEY'LL MULTI POLICE UP TOP ALSO.
WHAT, PAUL, YOU NEED TO BE, WE'RE GONNA DO A, UH OH, GOT IT.
IT'LL BE A FUN, WE'LL DO A FUN ONE HERE.
[00:30:10]
LOVED IT.