American Ambassador announces leaving Thailand

By Coconuts Bangkok

Oct 8, 2014 | 5:49pm Bangkok time

After four years, US Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney has announced that she will be leaving her post next month and returning to Washington to work at the US State Department.

Ambassador Kenney made the announcement speaking Thai in a Youtube video in which she thanked Thailand for its hospitality and professed her love for Thai food and people.

For now, it is difficult to imagine an annual Songkran video from the US Embassy without Kenney, and we will also miss her cat ‘Junior USA’, who is a good friend of former Transport Minister Chadchart Sitthipunt.

Kenney said the new ambassador will be selected and hopefully start his/her duty in Thailand next year. Meanwhile, all American affairs will be handled by Deputy Chief of Mission Patrick Murphy.

Kenney’s most memorable moment as Ambassador to Thailand was probably her public denunciation of the May 2014 military coup, for which she came under fire from coup supporters.

Besides that, she was mostly well-known and well-liked for her active social media presence, Youtube videos, and many public appearances.

Coconuts TV interviewed Kenney about the inner workings of the US Embassy in Bangkok last year. Watch here: