Than Thoot Dan Clune is the new U.S. ambassador who just got into Laos to start his post. He’s a member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is an Assessor on the Board of Examiners in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State. From 2010 to 2012, he was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. He comes from a strong background in trade development and environmental sustainability and has worked in countries such as Australia, Indonesia, and The Bahamas.
In his introductory blog post, he briefly goes into his top issue areas that he is planning to work on during his three years in Laos:
- UXO and retrieval of missing American soldiers
- Respect for human rights and the rule of law
- Healthcare
- Counternarcotics
- Environment (focusing on infrastructure development through the Lower Mekong Initiative)
- Trade development and investment in Laos
- New construction of U.S. embassy building in Vientiane
Some of these top priorities have been on the radar for previous ambassadors. What do you think of Ambassador Clune’s priorities? Anything else that you think should be added?
Read Ambassador Clune’s first blog post on Tumblr:
Watch an introduction clip of Ambassador Clune with his wife Judy
-Chanida