“I feel really proud to be the honorary consul of Brazil. This is, in effect, an unpaid social welfare job,” Mrs Jiratha told The Phuket News with a big smile.
It is not the first time she has done work of this kind, she said. “In every instance when I could help people – such as after the Asian Tsunami when I was able to send people and even the bodies back to their home countries – I felt so glad,” she explained.
Paulo Cesar Meira De Vasconcellos, the Brazilian Ambassador to Thailand, congratulated Mrs Jiratha, as did Governor Maitree Intusut.
Looking after the 20 or so Brazilians a year who come to Phuket should not be too buredensome, but Mrs Jiratha explained that, in addition, she will also have a role in promoting the country she represents.
“Two years from now the World [football] Cup will be held in Brazil and two years after that Brazil will host the next Olympics, so the Brazilian Ambassador tried to find ways to help the country to publicise those big events.
“He already knew that Phuket was a famous city, and discovered that my husband [Iam Thavornwongwong] knows a lot about football, so he asked him to be the Honorary Consul.
“But my husband declined, saying that I am the real worker in the family,” she said with a smile.
She saw an immediate advantage for Phuket: “After this, I think there will be some changes in our football team [Phuket FC] with cooperation between us and Brazil.
“As for the Brazilian people who come to Phuket, I am sure they will get good support.”