A colloquium commemorating Gustaf John Ramstedt and a centennial of the Finnish-Thai relations
21 December 2022
@ Regency Room, The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Alongside his career as a scholar, G. J. Ramstedt is a distinguished diplomat who served as Chargé d’Affaires to Bangkok and Tokyo and represented Finland in Asia in its early days of independence. The arrival of Ramstedt in Bangkok on 9 October 1919 marked the commencement of bilateral Finnish-Thai relations which has continued over a century to the present. The colloquium took place the very same Oriental Hotel where Ramstedt himself had stayed during his 1919 visit, the purpose of which was to pay a courtesy call to Siam on account of the recognition of Finland’s independence.
For more details on the Finnish-Thai diplomatic history, please visit the website of the Embassy of Finland in Bangkok via the following link (https://finlandabroad.fi/web/tha/history-of-representation-in-thailand).
Programme
9:00–9:15 Welcoming and registration
9:15–9:30 Opening remarks from H.E. Ambassador of Finland Jyri Järviaho (Embassy of Finland, Bangkok)
9:30–10:30 Siam music and arts around 1919 by Wantana Tancharoenpol, Saya Thuntawech, Weerakit Suwanphithak and a student chamber ensemble (Chulalongkorn University)
10:30–11:00 Tea break
11:00–11:30 G. J. Ramstedt as a diplomat by Jyrki Paloposki (Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
11:30–12:00 G. J. Ramstedt as a scholar by Andrew Logie (University of Helsinki) and Chingduang Yurayong (University of Helsinki & Mahidol University)
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch break
13:00–14:30 Showcase of NSEANET activities
- Julie Yu-Wen Chen (University of Helsinki) on Teaching Asian studies using hybrid mode for a global campus and construction of the Indo-Pacific concept
- Chingduang Yurayong (University of Helsinki & Mahidol University) with colleagues and students from Mahidol University and Silpakorn University on the Finnish-Thai exchange programme and Summer School in Language and Writing across Asia 2022
- Andrew Logie (University of Helsinki) on the panel at the 22nd Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 2022
14:30–15:00 Afternoon tea break
15:00–15:30 Roundtable discussion on the future of NSEANET and Eurasian Studies in Finland and Thailand
15:30–16:00 Closing remarks