Editorial | Thiraphong Chansiri : Thai Visionary Global King of Tuna

Winter is here! As the rainy season ends with Ok Phansa, the completion of Buddhist Lent, or the Rainy Season Retreat, temperatures have definitely been falling. At the same time, optimism has been growing as tourism and other sectors of the economy have been on the rebound. In our Sustainable Development column, we learn more about how and why the Thai business community is looking to the future from Mr Chartsiri Sophonpanich, president of Bangkok Bank as he discusses, “ASEAN Rising”. Before this, we feature an interview with Mr Thiraphong Chansiri, CEO of Thai Union Group, who tells us how he has built Thai Union Group into a world leader in the canned and frozen seafood industry and is now expanding into related sectors.

We then learn how the Virtual International Rights Fair (VIRF) platform is contributing to the expansion of Thai and ASEAN publishing as part of the Indonesia International Bookfair (IIBF). In our Art & Culture, we introduce the winning novels of the 12th Chommanard Book Prize for the best fiction by Thai female writers.

In this issue’s Diplomatic Affairs column, we introduce HE Ms Sibille de Cartier d’Yves, Belgium’s ambassador to Thailand as she discusses how Belgium has been celebrating with Thailand the 155th anniversary of bi-lateral ties and how this relationship can continue to grow stronger in the years ahead. We then meet Madame Assemgul Issetova, the wife of Kazakhstan's ambassador to Thailand.

For dining, we share a feast at Lhao-Lhao, a very, very popular khao tom, Thai-Chinese seafood restaurant before taking you on a visit to Hanoi and later Pongpol Adireksarn contiinues his adventure of the high artic exploring the Illulissat Icefjord.

After Dr Pisuth Lertvilai provides more advice on adding Quality Years to Our Lives, we introduce you to The Youngsters, a band made up of Assumption College Alumni, this year celebrating 60 years of playing music together.

Finally, Anchalee Viva, tells us a chilling story of a parallel universe before this issue ends on an upbeat with the highlights of Hydra, a sleepy outpost in the Aegean Sea, photographed by Ezra Kyrill Erker.

I do hope you will enjoy this issue as much as I have putting it together.

Arthorn Techatada
Executive Editor