Asda Jayanama (; ) is a former career diplomat of the Kingdom of Thailand. He is noted for his criticisms of the Myanmar military regime, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Former Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai.
Family and education
Asda was born on 17 September 1941, in Bangkok into a family of diplomats. He is related to Direk Jayanama, ambassador to Japan during World War II. His younger brother, Surapong Jayanama, was ambassador to Germany, Vietnam, and South Africa. Another brother, Apipong, was former Director General of the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs. Asda is married and has two children.
Asda studied at Bangkok Christian College in Thailand and Denstone College in England. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1964 with a B.A. and 1965 with a M.A. in economics.
Career in diplomacy
He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand in 1966. He served as Second Secretary at the Royal Thai Embassy to Burma from 1969-1973. He was afterwards appointed Chief of the South and West Asia Division in the Political Department in 1973. From 1974 to 1976 he was made Chief of the International Development Affairs Division, International Organizations Department.
From 1976 to 1979, he was appointed First Secretary of the Royal Thai Embassy in Vienna, where he was also the Alternate Representative of Thailand to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Afterwards, he was made Chief of the African and Arabian Affairs Division back at the Headquarters. He was promoted and served the South-East Asia Division as Director from 1979 to 1981.
From 1981 to 1984 he was transferred to Paris where he served as Deputy Representative of Thailand to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He became ambassador to Vietnam from 1984 to 1986, ambassador to Singapore from 1986 to 1990, and ambassador to New Zealand from 1990 to 1993.
Asda became Director-General of the Department of International Organizations from 1993 to 1995. Along with his brother, Surapong Jayanama, Asda led negotiations that resulted in the entry of Myanmar into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1997. He afterwards was appointed Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations from 1996 to 2001. He retired after finishing his posting to the UN.
Criticism of Myanmar regime
As a diplomat, Asda has long had outspoken views against the military government of Myanmar. After retiring from government service, he increased his criticism of the regime, noting that "ASEAN's constructive engagement policies have failed...The Asean values of non-interference of domestic affairs and quiet diplomacy should be re-examined and reinterpreted for modern times". He also noted "What then did ASEAN get from Burma's entry [into ASEAN]? Actually nothing, except problems... Burma never respects Asean's rules and even tried to get Asean to adjust to its own needs. And Asean just let that happen... If we compare Asean to a dog, and Burma as its tail, it seems that the tail is now wagging the dog".
Asda's brother, Surapong, was also a strong critic of the Myanmar regime and called Thailand's policy to Myanmar "Eight Long Years of Disgrace". Some have viewed the transfer of Surapong from Director General of the East Asia Department to become ambassador to Germany as being punishment for being too outspoken
After the government of Thaksin Shinawatra continued the Chuan Leekpai government's policy of engaging Myanmar, Asda's starting publicly criticizing Thaksin and Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai. Asda claimed that Thailand's policy was due to Thai business interests in Myanmar. Regarding Surakiart's road map for reconciliation with Myanmar, Asda noted that "It was clear to diplomats, even junior officers, at the Foreign Ministry that the Thai road map was doomed from the very beginning". He has called the Thai policy "greenhorn" and noted "it may not be obvious to fly-by-night politicians, but to well trained diplomats it is political common sense that the (Myanmar) State Peace and Development Council would never accept the Thai proposal for holding a forum".