iration K
irsti Westphalen is exactly as I remember. She is the same articulate, rational and very approachable person I had met during her welcome party a month ago. An ideal choice to be Finland’s new Ambassador for Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. “Ambassadors are just like any officials,” Kirsti Westphalen laughs. “There is nothing special about us.” “But I have a very good employer. Nothing is more rewarding than to be able to learn new things all the time.” That’s what I like about her. She is a smart and educated person. But she is also someone, who understands that her job is not to hide behind a closed door.
Finnish education getting attention Current strengths of Finland are competitiveness, creativity, focus on life sciences and high-class education system. These are the themes that also Westphalen wants to promote. “Thailand is struggling with the same issues of competitiveness as many countries in the region and in the wider world. As a representative of Finland it’s essential to focus on our strengths upon which you can build your capabilities.” Finland has long been topping the lists in terms of competitiveness, together with other Nordic countries. Another focus area is the life sciences that focus on health and physical activity. During the recent years more and more startup companies have started focusing on this area also in Asia. But it’s actually the Finnish education system that is getting lots of attention right now. ”I’m surprised, how well the locals know about our education system and how interested they are in what we are doing.” The problem is that introducing something new to a country is challenging. “It’s impossible to export one type of a system as it is to another country. That’s clear. But certain characteristics and how to apply them can be utilized.” One key aspect could be teachers’ training. Improving educators’ status has helped at least in Finland. Actually to be a teacher you need to excel in your own studies and to be an academic achiever. “Creating a system like this takes time. For us it took 30 years.” Westphalen also thinks that just putting money into the system doesn’t necessarily help. Everything should be based on a long-term strategy. Another characteristic of the Finnish school system is to try to encourage children to independent thinking. Relatively small class sizes and flexible curriculum have clearly improved the results.
No easy solutions for the South Westphalen’s specialty has long been political islam, radicalization and intercultural as well as interreligious dialogue. As the Consul General in Los An-
geles she was following the topic closely together with her priority areas: clean technology, sustainable solutions, education and creative industries. That’s why she also clearly understands Thailand’s domestic problems in the Deep South. At the same time she recognizes that these problems are not easy to solve. “It would be nice to find an easy solution. But I’m not in a position to say, how it should be done.” Finland is far away from Thailand both culturally and geographically. But even Finland may have an important story to tell. An example, studied by many in the world, is the autonomy of the southwestern Åland islands of Finland. For those coming from Åland or in Finnish Ahvenanmaa being part of Finland has not always been that obvious. And the lessons from Aland may indeed offer some reference points. “We always need to learn from each other,” Westphalen summarizes.
Importance to forgive One good example of Finland’s efforts to offer solutions are former President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari’s recent visits to Thailand and Myanmar. The key goal for any diplomatic mission is to bring both parties to the same negotiating table. That’s where peace advocates like Ahtisaari may well be able to help. One key challenge here is the vast ethnic diversity. Burma has 135 ethnic groups and even Thailand 70. “If people are treated in different ways and unjustly, they get angry.” But these issues need to be resolved nationally and locally. The role of a diplomat is to share how similar conflicts in other parts of the world have been resolved by negotiations. “Finland supports the European Union’s principles. EU wishes to partner with countries and political forces that follow the laws and avoid violence.” “But we should also be able to somehow forgive the sins of the past. We should get rid of the stone in our shoe,” Westphalen says, sharing the wisdoms of the great statesman Nelson Mandela, who is so often repeated in these days.
Nordic cooperation remains important Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark have traditionally been cooperating closely throughout the world. The ambassadors of these countries are constantly in touch with each other here in South East Asia as well. “Our ideals and values are similar. That’s why it’s only natural that we are cooperating in many ways,” Westphalen says. All this cooperation is even more important now than before, because the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will be starting from the beginning of 2016. “We are doing our best to encourage busi-
nesses for economic cooperation in this region. This is the right time to move in.”
Myanmar in focus Finnish government’s development projects are already running in neighboring Laos and Cambodia. Myanmar is going to be the next on the list. “Myanmar has a huge growth potential. Their importance in terms of economic development will be increasing.” Westphalen is also involved in Team Finland, a network that promotes Finland and its interests abroad. Its key focus is in external economic relations, the internationalization of Finnish enterprises, investments in Finland and sustaining a meaningful country brand. The Embassy works closely also with the national trade and development organization Finpro, the funding agency for technology and innovation Tekes, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland and the Finnish Academy. Locally the Embassy often partners also with the Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce and Finnish Honorary Consuls in Phuket, Chiang Mai and Vientiane. “I like being involved with economic and technological issues as much as possible. This is absolutely essential.”
Home is where you are Thailand has so far been a good learning experience for Westphalen and her husband. “I love it here. People are very friendly and helpful.” Traveling in the capital takes long, because traffic is chaotic. But Westphalen doesn’t let even that bother her. Long hours spent in cars can be used for reading and learning. “But I haven’t really had time to go anywhere. During the three months I have been, here I haven’t even visited the big department store next to our office yet,” she laughs. Crowded cities like Bangkok don’t scare Westphalen. She has worked at Finnish diplomatic missions abroad in Paris, Beijing and Damascus as well as at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in New York. She has also worked as the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of Finland in Rabat. And even in Finland she was born in Helsinki, the capital. “Home is where you are,” she states. For a career diplomat like Westphalen it couldn’t be otherwise. Moving to other countries is still full of surprises. For Westphalen one of the biggest positive experiences has been the food. Bangkok is simply one of the food capitals of the World. For her, Thai food is simply “yummy.” But she also enjoys all the fusion options that can be found throughout the city. No wonder, why Westphalen doesn’t have problems staying here. This is her home. At least for now. February 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13