On 8 January 2024, H.E. Ms. Lada Phumas, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia had a meeting with Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Rector of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) at IIUM, whereby executives of IIUM, including Prof. Dr. Akmal Khuzairy Bin Abd. Rahman, Deputy Rector for Student Development and Community Engagement, Prof. Dr. Zainal Abidin Sanusi, Director of the Sejahtera Center for Sustainability and Humanity (SC4SH) and Mr. Jamaludin Bin Said, Director of the International Affairs Office, as well as the President of the Thai Students Association in Malaysia (TSAM) Class 12, were also present.

The Ambassador and the IIUM executives exchanged views on the ways to promote educational cooperation between the Royal Thai Embassy and IIUM, which will help contribute to the strengthening of cooperation in human resource development and people-to-people connectivity through Thai and Malaysian students. The Ambassador also Introduced Mr. Sukrit Kimklaewkarn, a postgraduate at IIUM, who, in the capacity of the current President of the TSAM, will organize the TSAM Assembly 2024 between 12 - 14 January 2024 at IIUM, with approximately 100 Thai students in Malaysia participating. The Ambassador will be gracing the opening ceremony on Saturday, 13 January 2024, in which the Rector of IIUM has also accepted the invitation to attend the event.

Beside congratulating IIUM on establishing the Sejahtera Center for Sustainability and Humanity (SC4SH) in February 2023 to be a champion of transition and transformation towards sustainability and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Ambassador also sought support for TSAM’s activities, as well as the Thai students at IIUM. The Rector appreciated the Ambassador’s interest in education and commended Thailand’s role in sustainable development, especially the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), which IIUM can also learn from Thailand, while expressing his continuous support for the activities of Thai students.

As a gesture of appreciation, the Ambassador gave the Rector a book entitled “Thai Monarchy and Muslims in Thailand”, published by the Muslim Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University, in Arabic version. On this occasion, the Ambassador also visited the IIUM campus and its Gallery which exhibits IIUM history, projects and future plans. The Ambassador expressed appreciation to the IIUM executives and the Thai students at IIUM for their warm welcome and hospitality.