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A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Harry K. Thomas Jr. (in the dark suit) has taken his post as the new United States Ambassador to the Philippines. Mr. Thomas is the first black envoy to the Philippines, and he arrives at his new post with a formidable resume:
Ambassador Thomas served most recently as a Special Assistant to the Secretary and Executive Secretary of the State Department.
He joined the Foreign Service in 1984, and served as Director for South Asia at the National Security Council in the White House from 2001 to 2002. He served as United States Ambassador to Bangladesh from 2003 to 2005. His other postings include: New Delhi, India; Harare, Zimbabwe; Kaduna, Nigeria; and Lima, Peru. He has served 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.
Ambassador Thomas speaks Spanish, Hindi, and Bangla. He has received many awards, including the Arnold Raphel Award for leadership, motivation, and mentoring of colleagues. Source: Manilla Bulletin Publishing Corp
And now Ambassador Thomas has added Tagalog to his linguistic repertoire. Thomas had several weeks of downtime waiting for his confirmation to be approved, so he studied the Philippine national language.
It's a big world out there. I hope Ambassador Thomas career achievement reminds all young people of that fact.
Comments: (14)
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By: gene sweater on 4/17/2011 12:12PM
Dear Amb. Thomas,
IF the US believes in human rights laws, here in USA OWN backyard, US Citizens,taxyers,veterans filipinos, americans, hispanic gamefowl practitioners are Unjustly Persecuted, sent to prison, ruin human lives & their families OVER a " CHICKEN" (that million of americans eat it tons) and gov't are Supporting POLICIES by TERRORIST extremist org, http://www.hsussucks.com/,
To know who are US gamefowl practitioners, please read the " Clemson Report" by Clemson University Sociologist Professor William C. Capel and Virginia polytech University Sociologist Professor Clifton Bryant.
California & states anti-cockfighting VIOLATES our US individual Constitutional LIBERTY rights.
No LAw is allowed to violate the US Constitution( over a chicken), & our nations fouders established the court to protect every Americans/filipino americans constitutional rights against UNFAIR laws.
Equal JUSTICE!
It violates constitutional rights by creating separate classes of people with different laws for each one. Anti-cockfighting laws DOES IRREPARABLE HARM, STIGMA< DESCRIMINATION & Economic HARM to Cultural filipino americans gamefowl practitioners.
IT denies fundamental Constitutional Liberties, which harms adults and children without due process & for no good reason. No compelling gov't interest is advance through it.
IT is wrong to deny people fundamental constitutional liberties, like equal protection under the law, simply because of who they are.
We need your URGENT HELP to STOP Unjust persecution of Filipinos, fil/am in California and other US states and REPEAL Unconstitutional anti-cockfighting laws in the USA.
thank you.
Gene Sweater
USMC Veteran
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By: Alfred Acopan on 6/22/2011 8:00PM
Good evening Mr. Thomas,
I am Alfred Acopan an American citizen living and working here in the Philippines for an American owned company. I'm working for Bogo Medellin Milling Company which is owned by mostly retired Americans from Hawaii. This Sugar milling company is also listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange.
I am also retired at a youg age of 66 a Democrate from Maui born and raised in Manoa Valley in Honolulu and hope you can get us some help to make our business playing field level.
If there is any way you can help I will send you the details of how we are not treated correctly by government agencies here to make business very hard.
This company has been here for 83 years and I would hate to see it go under.
Please let me know if you"re not too Busy
Aloha,
Alfred Acopan
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By: Gabriel G. Malagar on 7/27/2011 11:53PM
Dear Hon.Ambassador Harry K. Thomas,Jr.,
I am just an ordinary Filipino citizen living in Cebu City in a Central Visayas province, Cebu.
I have an aunt who is residing in Seattle, Washington after the II World War in 1944. In fact, she married to a U.S. army from Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur in northern Luzon and ever since have lived in Seattle after their marriage.
They were blessed with five children, two of them were born in the Philippines and three in Seattle.
Since it is public knowledge that Filipinos have close family ties, my aunt Mrs. Adelina G. Domingo invited me one time to visit Seattle and that was in 1990 when said city hosted the Goodwill Games.
My aunt promised to shoulder my plane fare and accommodation while in Settle soon as I can secure a visa. To cut the story short, I was denied.
Again, sometime in 1996, I was invited by a friend in L.A.,California and they will chip in amounts just for me to be there. I have also plenty of friends in New York and most of them basketball players who married Filipina nurses.
The same results in 1990, I was denied.
To me, those were wasted opportunity to see the Dream Land America, the land of free and the braves and most of all, the land where most charitable people in the world live.
Mr. Ambassador, this may sound too ridiculous but I have to admit this that while I am a Filipino, I really love almost all stuff that comes from America. My favorite singer is Michael Jackson, my favorite basketball star is Michael Jordan, my favorite subject is U.S. history and has to know well the 13 original states and why the statue of liberty was handed by a french sculptor as gift at the new york harbor, etc. I was even made to memorize the Gettesburg address of Pres. Abraham Lincoln just to gain some point in history class.
Now I can't help than asking myself "is America really beautiful as featured in encyclopedia". How can I attest to that if I won't be allowed to see the Grand Canyons of Arizona or the Niagara Falls? According to an American author "Beauty is a joy forever."
Mr. Ambassador, by looking at your personal profile, you looked like a sympathetic and good person. I hope that I can count on you and help me visit your beautiful country by granting me a visa which I longed for 21 years.
Thank you Mr. Ambassador and more power.
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By: nick on 10/08/2011 3:11PM
hes an idiot call him 40% thomas from now on!
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