WASHINGTON, D.C.: US President Barack Obama on Thursday named two ambassadors to Southeast Asia, tapping a close political ally as envoy to Singapore and nominating a career diplomat to the For the Philippines, Obama named Harry Thomas Jr., a career foreign service officer who served as ambassador to Bangladesh from 2003 to 2005. Thomas has also been posted in India, Nigeria, Peru and

Speaking of Thomas and other nominees, Obama said in a statement, “These individuals will represent our nation well and work to fulfill the important goal of strengthening our relationships abroad. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

Thomas joined the US Foreign Service in 1984. Besides his overseas postings, he served in the White House as the director for South Asia at the National Security Council from 2001 to 2002; as senior watch officer, deputy director and director of the State Department Operations Center; special assistant to the undersecretary for political affairs; and staff assistant to the assistant secretary for African affairs.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross, according to the White House statement. His alma mater is the oldest Catholic college in New England, founded by the Jesuits.

Honor and privilege

Ambassador Kristie Kenney, the current US envoy in Manila and the first woman to serve in that post, said also in a statement on Friday that it has been an honor and privilege to serve in the Philippines for more than three and half years.

“Working with so many Filipinos, from all walks of life, has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life,” she added. “I have come to deeply appreciate not just the warmth and friendship of Filipinos, but also their determination to make their country, region and world a better place for their children and grandchildren. It has been a true pleasure to live in this beautiful country, and to lead the US Embassy in efforts to partner with the government and people of the Philippines for the greater good of Americans and Filipinos alike.”

Kenney said that she has now to plan for her return to the America, although it might take months for her successor to get confirmed by the US Congress.

“Ambassador-designate Harry Thomas is a personal friend of mine, an exceptional diplomat and a wonderful person,” she added.

Envoy to Singapore
For Singapore, Obama named David Adelman, a state senator in Georgia and a force behind the president’s record-breaking fundraising in last year’s elections.

Adelman headed the Democratic candidate’s campaign in Georgia, a Republican-leaning southern state that Obama turned competitive but fell short by five points.

A lawyer, he represented presidential contender Al Gore in his legal battles against eventual winner George W. Bush in the 2000 race.

Adelman has also been active in initiatives to prevent domestic violence and spearheaded a Georgia law prohibiting state contracts to companies seen as benefiting from the bloodshed in Sudan’s parched Darfur region.

Confirmation required

The nominations, which require confirmation by the US Senate, come after high-level US visits to the two US-friendly nations.

Obama visited Singapore last week as part of a four-nation Asia tour, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stopped in the Philippines.

US ambassadors generally step down when a president leaves office. Obama is still filling positions more than a year after his election, with nominees subject to increasingly tough scrutiny.

Despite his vows for a cleaner government, Obama has tapped major fundraisers as his ambassadors to close US allies including Australia, Britain, France and Japan.
AFP with report from The Manila Times