Mr. Pisanu Suvanajata, Ambassador of Thailand, presided over and participated in the annual Samaggi Academic Conference and Careers Fair, which was held during 15-17 February 2019 at Imperial College, London.  The Conference was blessed by Mr. Wissanu Krea-ngam, Deputy Prime Minister, who shared with the students through VDO, about Thailand’s development policy and the path forward under Thailand 4.0, and was graced by Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat, Minister of Tourism and Sports, and Dr. Teerakiat Jaroensettasin, Minister of Education, with their presence. The two Ministers shared their visions and experiences, leaving food for thought for the students.

The Samaggi Academic Conference has been held annually in the past 11 years by Samaggi Samagom, an umbrella association of Thai students in the United Kingdom.  The Conference was aimed to provide a forum for students to learn new ideas, share views, and explore creative thinking on topics of interest.  This year was the first time that Samaggi Samagom joined hands with Thai students in Europe under Thai Students Academic Conference (TSAC) in organising this event.

This year, the Conference was organised under the theme “Dare to Disrupt and Develop towards being the World Leader”, and comprised of 2 parts : (1) academic seminar with distinguished guest speakers in various fields from both the public and the private sectors, and (2) abstract competition. 54 students participated in the abstract competition, submitting their research works in 4 fields, namely (1) Medical Science and Pure Science with 15 entries, (2) Behavioural Science and Social Science with 17 entries, (3) Economic, Business/Finance, Political Science and Law with 7 entries, and (4) Engineering and Technology with 15 entries. 40 students were shortlisted and 23 students were selected to make oral presentation. Finally, there were 4 winners and 4 runners-up. This reflected the keen interests and creativity of Thai students to sharpen their analytical thinking and presentation skills.

The Careers Fair, held in the 2^nd year, gained much interest from Thai and international companies in Thailand, with 15 public and private entities participating to make presentation on their agencies/companies, aimed at recruiting new talents.  Over 700 students attended the Fair, seeking career advice, submitting their CVs, and attending job interviews. The Careers Fair offered great opportunities for Thai students who would soon start their professional life, while Thai agencies and companies could recruit the new generations of Thais with high calibre to work and help develop Thailand.