On 3 July 2025, H.E. Ms. Lada Phumas, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia, was invited as a panelist in the Ambassadors’ Roundtable for ASEAN 2025 (ART@ASEAN’25), held at UTM Hotel & Residence in Kuala Lumpur. The event was co-organised by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia, and the Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia. The event brought together more than 150 participants, including Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry bin Abd. Kadir, Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia, senior officials from the Ministry and Malaysian universities, as well as ambassadors from various countries in Malaysia.

 

Prof. Dr. Mohd Shafry bin Mohd Rahim, Vice-Chancellor of UTM, delivered a welcoming remarks, followed by a keynote address by the Minister of Higher Education, who underscored the importance of international cooperation in higher education and academic exchange as a tool of diplomacy. He emphasised the role of such cooperation in fostering people-to-people connectivity, both within ASEAN and with external partners such as the European Union, highlighting initiatives like Erasmus+ which support student and academic mobility.

 

The Ambassador served as a panelist during the roundtable session titled “Bridging Nations, Connecting Regions: Higher Education for ASEAN Unity”, alongside H.E. Mr. Rafael Daerr, Ambassador of the European Union to Malaysia, and H.E. Ms. Maria Angela A. Ponce, Ambassador of the Philippines to Malaysia. The session was moderated by Prof. Dr. Shamsul Sahibuddin, Acting Head of UTM Kuala Lumpur Campus. The Ambassador reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to advancing educational and cultural diplomacy, as well as fostering comprehensive regional cooperation with Malaysia, the European Union, ASEAN, and ASEAN’s dialogue partners. She expressed Thailand’s support for Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, and highlighted the Embassy’s role in promoting student exchange, youth empowerment, cultural diplomacy, and the advancement of women as vital contributors to regional connectivity and mutual understanding.

 

On this occasion, the Erasmus+ Malaysia Hub was also officially launched at UTM, which was designated by the Ministry of Higher Education as Malaysia’s first Erasmus+ National Focal Point, with the aim of enhancing cooperation in education, research, and knowledge exchange between ASEAN and the European Union.