His Majesty the King has sent a letter of condolence to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York Antonio Guterres over the passing of former secretary-general Kofi Atta Annan on Saturday, after a short, unspecified illness.
The letter on Monday read as follows:
"Thailand joins the international community and the Member States of the United Nations in mourning the demise of Kofi Atta Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate. His passing is truly a great loss to all peace-loving nations.
In Thailand, Kofi Annan will always be remembered for his lifelong dedication to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Peace and security among nations, economic and social development, freedom and human rights, these were the noble causes to which he pledged his life and tireless work. And indeed, we all have, directly or indirectly, become so much the better for it.
In 2006, Secretary-General Kofi Annan himself came to pay tribute, on behalf of the Organisation, to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, our late revered monarch, with the UNDP Lifetime Achievement Award for Human Development.
No other symbol of recognition could have brought the United Nations closer to the hearts of the people of Thailand.
I wish, on behalf of the people of Thailand, to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to Your Excellency, and through you, to the members of his family, to all his friends and former colleagues within the United Nations System, for the great loss of a true international statesman."
