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‘It’s refreshing to see that our publishers are not only focusing on the local market but aspiring to expand globally, with many titles that have been translated to English’show them around and become their friends. This is a special characteristic none of our neighbours have. There are also some Germans that look for quality, cleanliness and environmental conservation, and these are things we could improve on. There are some complaints that the beaches are not as clean as they should be, or as advertised. These are minor things, but if we want to move forward in tourism with Germany, such factors are important. More and more Germans come to Thailand, last year numbering 800,000. Germany is second to the UK in terms of numbers visiting Thailand. We want them to keep coming back. We do a lot of cultural promotion and there is a crowd whenever we have cultural events, because they expect Thai food and love Thai culture.What was your impression of the Frankfurt Book Fair?I’d heard about this fair for a long time and it was mentioned by diplomats in Berlin. I’d heard it was big, important and global. I’m glad that this year I had the chance to go andsee booths from Thai publishers. It’s refreshing to see that our publishers are not only focusing on the local market but aspiring to expand globally, with many titles that have been translated to English. Our printing quality is very good from what I saw, and this is a great start. Not only can Thai books bridge cultural gaps, they can also showcase our innovation and development. I hope to see Thai books on display in big bookshops around the world.Can our writers be citizen ambassadors?Absolutely. Books can be tools to connect people and teach them about other cultures and countries. Writers can convey what’s going on in Thailand – historical events, current events, Thai mentality and mindset, culture and traditions, in ways academic research and journals can’t. These elements can be presented through tales, folklore, short stories, novels and even biographies. I wish Thai writers would do more biogra- phies. We have lots of interesting people – in history and now – andtheir life stories could be inspirational and a good guide for others.Do you think it is more difficult for women to become ambassadors? Not really. If you ask female ambassadors around the world, they might say the same. I don’t think being a woman is a barrier to the profession. More and more you’ll find female diplomats, and perhaps in the next 10 to 15 years you’ll find more female ambassadors in Thailand. In diplomacy, there is little discrimina- tion against women. In Berlin, more than half of the ambassadors from African countries are female and they are highly competent. Ambassadors are not that different from CEOs and executives. Women have strengths and weaknesses, and what women at an executive level are often criticised for is being feminine. To balance our weaknesses and strengths can be a good option. Do the job right – that’s what men and women have to consider at work, no matter whatthey do.Elite+ 57