Chatchai Atsavapranee ’87

Chatchai Atsavapranee ’87, of Bangkok, Thailand; Nov. 25, 2023. After graduating, he spent five years in Paris, earning the Diplôme d’Etudes at the Université de Paris VII. He then studied history and international relations at the University of Sydney. He returned home and entered the Royal Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994, rising through the ranks and receiving appointments that included First Secretary Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations, New York. He resigned before his final year at the U.N. to return home to Bangkok and take care of his ailing mother. Following her death, he rejoined the Thai Foreign Ministry in 2006 in Bangkok, serving as a diplomat in various development and international affairs organizations. In 2010, he was appointed counselor and later minister counselor at the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris, France. He served in various director positions in the Office of the Permanent Secretary, and in the departments of ASEAN Affairs, European Affairs, and American and South Pacific Affairs. In his final post, he served as consul-general of the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Xiamen, China. At the time of his death, he was to receive an ambassadorial appointment. He was the recipient of the Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand and the Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant. He is survived by two younger brothers, three nieces, and four nephews.