DR JINGJAI HANCHANLASH HAS SPENT HIS CAREER PROMOTING SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE, ACCORDING TO NACHAWAN ISRASENA NA AYUDHYA
A man of 66 years would likely be retired, perusing luxury cruise brochures in the comfort of a reclining chair while watching his favourite sports on TV. But Dr Jingjai Hanchanlash is far from being that man. Indeed, his current roster of endeavours would exhaust a man half his age.
Fluent French-speaker Dr. Jingjai is a graduate of Caen University in Normandy, France, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s and doctorate in public law. Spending half of his life abroad, Dr Jingjai, apart from his early career in the kingdom at the Department of Technical and Economic Cooperation, has more than 20 years’ experience with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and its branches in Canada, Singapore and Hanoi. The IDRC’s mission is to assist developing countries in terms of appropriate project funding. His area of focus is to perform research on, and counsel, Asian countries. Based in Singapore for 18 years, he oversaw the selection of projects and their funding for approximately 20 Asia-Pacific countries. His last three years at IDRC took Dr. Jingjai to Vietnam at a time when the country was first revealing its face to the world and
he was there to match its needs with the right projects and funding.
His return to Thailand 11 years ago has been a boon to many companies and organisations. Loxley Public Co engaged his extensive experience on foreign cooperation agreements, with his own emphasis on assisting social development. Currently, Dr. Jingjai serves as the first chairman of the Thai-EU Business Council. “The EU wanted to concentrate on Southeast Asia and suggested setting up a chamber of commerce here,” he says. “However, due to a Thai law that a chamber of commerce must represent a specific nationality, I advised that it is best to establish a business council instead.” The Thai-EU Business Council is baked by the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Industry, and by private-sector representatives like the Thai Banking Association, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries. “The work focuses on such issues as non-tariff barriers and health and safety early-warning systems in regard to food and chemical use. The overall purpose of the council is to enable both the EU and Thailand to protect economic interests by making sure each entity’s business community complies with laws and regulations.”
On a similar international relations note, Dr. Jingjai is the kingdom’s first honorary consul of Jamaica, whose job is to promote Jamaica and strengthen ties between the two countries. He was selected because of his familiarity with the country gained during his tenure at IDRC.
In the personal realm, Dr. Jingjai’s path has had obstacles, but as in his professional life, he has weathered them and found new purpose from the challenge. After his wife passed away from leukaemia, he eventually met and married widower Khunying Chamnongsri Rutnin,
an avid writer and social activist with whom he shares a common sense of service to society. Moving forward, Dr. Jingjai says he will continue to expand his knowledge and experience in the realm of international foreign cooperation. “I try to pursue diverse challenges,” he says. “Some may not end up being successful, but if you try different things, you have more choices and you will know what you are good at. I try to aim high and enjoy the journey to the summit.”
From: FACES magazine , November 2008