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Surin Abdul Halim bin Ismail PitsuwanLatar (; Jawi alphabet: سورين عبدالحاليم بن اسماعيل ڤيتسووان; October 28, 1949 – November 30, 2017) was a Thai diplomat and politician of Malay descent who served as the 12th secretary-general of ASEAN between 2008 and 2012.
In addition to his political career, Surin taught at Thammasat University and wrote for two English daily newspapers in Bangkok between 1980 and 1992. He was academic assistant to the Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and later to the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Thammasat University from 1985 to 1986.
On 1 January 2013, he handed over his post to Le Luong Minh, the next ASEAN Secretary-General. On 17 January he announced that he would be ready to take over Thailand's education ministry "if given the chance".
Surin's tenure at ASEAN saw the rise of the regional organization into an important global player in international affairs. "He will be a hard act to follow", said Professor Amitav Acharya of the American University in Washington D.C. Under Surin's stewardship, Acharya said, ASEAN moved away from the principle of "non-interference in the internal affairs" of member states that had been used by some to deflect criticisms of their human rights records, and the grouping succeeded in setting up its own Human Rights Commission. The change in direction followed Surin's advocacy of a policy of "flexible engagement" towards Myanmar when he was Foreign Minister from 1997 through 2000. The policy called for increasing interactions with Myanmar leaders when they took steps towards reform, and building people-to-people contacts between nations. Prior to that, ASEAN had been criticized by some for its policy of "constructive engagement", which detractors said was simply a cover for business persons to ignore government repression. Acharya said that Surin would be remembered for guiding the grouping through challenging times, including the opening up of Myanmar, the United States entry into the East Asia Summit, and rising tensions over the South China Sea. "He was the most active, open and globalized ASEAN secretary-general ever", he said. An editorial in the Jakarta Post lauded Surin as the most effective of the 12 secretaries-general in the group's history. "Thailand's Surin Pitsuwan praised as term as ASEAN chief ends" "Thank you Khun Surin", The Jakarta Post, 28 December 2012
Since October 2013, Surin served as on the board of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a private diplomacy organization whose mission is to prevent armed violence through mediation and dialogue.
Surin was a member of the Commission on Human Security, a member of the advisory board of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, and a member of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.
Surin's eldest son, Fuadi Pitsuwan, announced the formation of the Surin Pitsuwan Foundation in 2019. The foundation will focus on three areas: education, diplomacy, and human security. The foundation will provide scholarships to ASEAN students to study abroad, within and without the region, to spur ASEAN integration and encourage academic excellence. The foundation will fund diplomacy programs in interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution to further ASEAN integration. On human security, the foundation will assist in disaster relief and respond to development needs that will help secure the future of ASEAN's citizens.
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