Editorial | Surin Pitsuwan : Visions of a fairer ASEAN and more equitable world

Nice to meet and greet my dear readers again. Time has passed faster than we could imagine; Elite+ is now over two years old. But I still feel like a pioneer on day one, continually trying to discover what kind of content and images will capture our readers’ interest.

As for the new issue in your hands, I’m proud to present Dr Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN secretary-general from 2008 to 2012 and the present chairman of the Future Innovative Thailand Institute, who gave us an exclusive look into his world view. Moreover he has accepted to be the keynote speaker of our anniversary event on August 28. I will emphasise the significance of the event again in the last paragraph.I hope the reader can observe some of the little changes in images and graphical layout or some of the new kinds of articles in this issue. The changes were facilitated by Krittiya Wongtavavimarn; I have invited her to use her expertise to develop Elite+ with us, and I hope that she will be welcomed by our readers and subscribers.

Accidentally, more than half of the content of this issue is on issues related to Thailand. This is because there have been some extraordinary developments and personalities in the public eye, such as Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Mr Chen Namchaisiri, that a vigilant source like Elite+ shouldn’t neglect.

Running parallel to the physical Elite+ is the online version, with more special daily news and weekly video scoops that can help our readers stay up to date at www.eliteplusmagazine.com.

Last but not least, our English-language magazine on Thai soil is growing through its own brand, without importing or making use of a foreign brand or content. Elite+ remains itself; our team believes we can continue to grow independently through local stories and many attractive stories from around the Asia-Pacific region. We are thriving through our expanded positioning — a wider focus on the region rather than only the AEC. Many thanks to all our contributors over the past two years.

To subscribers, advertisers and our devoted readers, please join our second anniversary event at Chatrium Hotel Riverside. The event will be held from 5pm to 9pm under the theme “Stronger Connections to Success.” You can easily scan the QR code below for more details of the exciting event. We hope to see you join our anniversary; the event is free of charge for our sophisticated cosmopolitan readers.

Warm regards,
Arthorn Techatada
Bangkok, Thailand