Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development, Mr. Erik Solheim, has officially opened the Royal Norwegian Consulate in Phuket.
The official opening of the new consulate in Phuket took place at the consulate in Phuket city November 26, 2009. The Norwegian Minister of the Environment and International Development, Erik Solheim, attended the gathering, along with Ambassador Merete Fjeld Brattested, the Governors of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga, and many other dignitaries and friends of Norway in Thailand. The opening ceremony was hosted by the newly-appointed Honorary Consul, Pornphan Sittichaivijit.
The number of Norwegians travelling to Thailand has increased significantly the last decades. About 120 000 Norwegians visit Thailand every year, and the need for consular assistance has grown considerably. The newly opened consulate has proven to be of great value to assist Norwegian citizens in Thailand.
Mr. Solheim visited Thailand to mark the five year anniversary of the tragic tsunami which struck in 2004. The minister visited several locations in the Phang Nga and Phuket provinces, among them the village of Baan Nam Khem where most Thai citizens lost their life and Khao Lak where most Norwegians died.
