Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb
Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb (born 31 May 1952) is an Indonesian diplomat. He was Ambassador of Indonesia to Australia between 2005 and 2008 and Ambassador of Indonesia to the UK between 2011 and 2015.
Hamzah Thayeb | |
---|---|
19th Ambassador of Indonesia to the United Kingdom | |
In office 21 December 2011 – 23 December 2015 | |
President | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Joko Widodo |
Preceded by | Yuri Octavian Thamrin |
Succeeded by | Rizal Sukma |
20th Ambassador of Indonesia to Australia | |
In office 11 November 2005 – 2009 | |
President | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono |
Preceded by | Imron Cotan |
Succeeded by | Primo Alui Joelianto |
Personal details | |
Born | Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb May 31, 1952 Paris, France |
Nationality | Indonesian |
Spouse | Lastri Thayeb |
Parent | Teuku Mohammad Hadi Thayeb |
Relatives | Teuku Chik Mohammad Thayeb (grandfather) Teuku Mohammad Syarief Thayeb (uncle) |
Alma mater | Jayabaya University |
Occupation | Public servant and diplomat |
Life and career
Born on 31 May 1952 in Paris, France, Hamzah was educated at Jayabaya University in West Java.[1] He started his career as a public relations officer at the national secretariat of ASEAN in 1975.[2]
From 2005 to 2008, Hamzah was Ambassador of Indonesia to Australia. In March 2006, Hamzah faced protests from Papuan and refugee activists over the West Papuan refugee crisis. The Indonesian Government guaranteed the Papuan's safety and Hamzah said he did not understand why the West Papuans had sought asylum to begin with.[3] Hamzah was temporarily recalled to Indonesia when the Australian Government granted the Papuans asylum.[4] He arrived back in Canberra in June 2006.
In 2012, he was part of the State visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the United Kingdom. He was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.[5] In 2013, Hamzah was named 'Diplomat of the Year from Asia 2013' by The Diplomat, whilst serving as Indonesian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland.[6] His father Hadi Thayeb had also been the Indonesian ambassador to the UK and Ireland, in the early 1990s.[7]
References
- The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia: Curriculum Vitae, Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia, archived from the original on 14 March 2014
- "Diplomat karir itu akhirnya ikuti jejak sang ayah". Antara News (in Indonesian). 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012.
- "Protesters meet Indonesian ambassador". AAP. 6 March 2006. Archived from the original on 28 March 2007.
- Forbes, Mark; Banham, Cynthia (17 May 2006). "Indonesia agrees to return ambassador". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 7 August 2007.
- "Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals – 2012" (PDF).
- "Hamzah Thayeb named 'Diplomat of the Year'". The Jakarta Post. 5 May 2013. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015.
- Bagus BT. Saragih (27 May 2016). "New RI ambassador to UK pledges greater cooperation". The Jakarta Post.