From left, Philippine foreign secretary Narcio Ramos, Indonesian foreign minister Adam Malik, Thanat, Malaysian deputy premier Abdul Razak and Singapore foreign minister S. Rajaratnam. Thanat was appointed the country's foreign minister in 1959 after serving as an ambassador to Washington. For the next 12 years, until 1971, he would become the country's longest-serving foreign minister, leaving a long-lasting diplomatic legacy in his country and beyond. "We prefer to be with ourselves and to be modest because we are small nations. Reflecting on the role of the US at the height of Cold War and the possibility of an American withdrawal from the region, Thanat was very candid.

Source: Bangkok Post July 19, 2017 21:33 UTC