{"id":35577,"date":"2025-10-17T13:46:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T06:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phuket-times.com\/?p=35577"},"modified":"2025-10-17T13:46:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T06:46:14","slug":"phuket-honors-austrian-consul-handover-with-prestigious-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/phuket-honors-austrian-consul-handover-with-prestigious-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Phuket Honors Austrian Consul Handover with Prestigious Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"76\" data-end=\"461\"><strong data-start=\"76\" data-end=\"139\">Strengthening Thai-Austrian Relations Through Diplomacy<\/strong><br data-start=\"139\" data-end=\"142\" \/>Phuket recently hosted a grand diplomatic ceremony marking the handover of Austria\u2019s Honorary Consul position, symbolizing a continued commitment to friendship, tourism, and trade between Thailand and Austria. The event took place on October 14 at Phuket Country Club in Kathu, with notable dignitaries in attendance.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"463\" data-end=\"864\">Phuket Governor <strong data-start=\"479\" data-end=\"504\">Saransak Srikruanetra<\/strong> presided over the event, joined by <strong data-start=\"540\" data-end=\"582\">Austrian Ambassador H.E. Wilhelm Donko<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"587\" data-end=\"613\">Christina Lehner-Telic<\/strong>, Consul-General of the Austrian Embassy in Bangkok. The ceremony celebrated the contributions of <strong data-start=\"711\" data-end=\"729\">Wanida Hongyok<\/strong>, who served as Austria\u2019s Honorary Consul in Phuket for over two decades, and the appointment of her successor, <strong data-start=\"841\" data-end=\"861\">Montawee Hongyok<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"866\" data-end=\"1154\"><strong data-start=\"866\" data-end=\"915\">Honoring Two Decades of Dedicated Service<\/strong><br data-start=\"915\" data-end=\"918\" \/>During the event, Ambassador Donko presented <strong data-start=\"963\" data-end=\"981\">Wanida Hongyok<\/strong> with a medal of honour in recognition of her 20 years of service to Austrian nationals and her efforts in promoting tourism and cultural exchange between the two nations.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"1156\" data-end=\"1330\">\n<p data-start=\"1158\" data-end=\"1330\">\u201cShe played a vital role in building a bridge between Austria and Phuket,\u201d said Ambassador Donko, commending her long-standing dedication to strengthening bilateral ties.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1332\" data-end=\"1569\"><strong data-start=\"1332\" data-end=\"1394\">A New Chapter with Montawee Hongyok as Honorary Consul<\/strong><br data-start=\"1394\" data-end=\"1397\" \/>Taking over the honorary position, <strong data-start=\"1432\" data-end=\"1452\">Montawee Hongyok<\/strong> pledged to continue Wanida\u2019s legacy while enhancing cooperation in <strong data-start=\"1520\" data-end=\"1559\">economic, cultural, and educational<\/strong> fields.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"1571\" data-end=\"1717\">\n<p data-start=\"1573\" data-end=\"1717\">\u201cIt is a privilege to continue Wanida\u2019s vision and strengthen Thai-Austrian relations through culture, tourism, and trade,\u201d he stated proudly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1719\" data-end=\"1881\">Governor <strong data-start=\"1728\" data-end=\"1753\">Saransak Srikruanetra<\/strong> extended congratulations to the new consul, emphasizing the importance of continued collaboration between Phuket and Austria.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"1883\" data-end=\"2100\">\n<p data-start=\"1885\" data-end=\"2100\">\u201cThis is an honour for the province and a sign of growing partnership between Phuket and Austria. The provincial government stands ready to fully support the work of the Austrian Consulate,\u201d the governor remarked.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"2102\" data-end=\"2450\"><strong data-start=\"2102\" data-end=\"2153\">Deepening Ties Between Thailand and Austria<\/strong><br data-start=\"2153\" data-end=\"2156\" \/>The ceremony drew attendees from the <strong data-start=\"2193\" data-end=\"2252\">government, private sector, and international community<\/strong>, highlighting the shared commitment to diplomatic and cultural exchange. The event underscored Phuket\u2019s role as a bridge between nations and its importance in fostering international cooperation.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2452\" data-end=\"2684\">In related developments, Thailand\u2019s Cabinet has reportedly approved the sudden transfer of <strong data-start=\"2543\" data-end=\"2577\">Governor Saransak Srikruanetra<\/strong>, just two weeks after his appointment, making him the <strong data-start=\"2632\" data-end=\"2681\">shortest-serving governor in Phuket\u2019s history<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Strengthening Thai-Austrian Relations Through DiplomacyPhuket recently hosted a grand diplomatic ceremony marking&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35578,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35577","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-other"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}