Timorese students at Assumption University of Thaland (AU) stood at the heart of a meaningful diplomatic and academic visit on April 24, 2026, as the University welcomed H.E. Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, and his delegation to the Hua Mak Campus.
The visit carried a spirit of friendship, pride, and continuity. It reflected not only the importance of educational exchange, but also the longstanding relationship between Assumption University of Thailand and the country of Timor-Leste, a connection strengthened over the years through the presence, achievements, and aspirations of Timorese students who have made the University part of their academic home.
The ministerial delegation was received at the VIP Room on the second floor of the Assumption Hall, where Dr. Bendito dos Santos Freitas met with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chaninthorn Jittawiriyanukoon, Vice President for Research and Academic Services who represented Rev. Bro. Sirichai Fonseka, f.s.g.,Ph. D., President of Assumption University of Thailand, and University top officials. The meeting offered an opportunity for warm dialogue and mutual respect, underscoring the value of higher education as a bridge between nations and cultures.
What made the occasion especially moving was the visible presence of Timorese students from the Graduate School of Business and Advanced Technology Management, whose participation gave the visit its deepest resonance. Their journey to AU represented more than academic ambition. It spoke to trust, partnership, and the enduring belief that education can shape futures across borders.
For AU, the visit was also a reminder of its international mission. With a long tradition of welcoming students from across the region and around the world, the University has consistently positioned itself as a place where global learning is lived in human terms, through community, mentorship, and shared purpose. Its relationship with Timor-Leste has been one of those meaningful ties, built not only through official visits, but through the daily presence and progress of Timorese students on campus.
Following the meeting, the delegation joined a brief tour of the Hua Mak Campus before attending lunch at Salle d’Expo with faculty members and Timorese students from the Graduate School of Business and Advanced Technology Management. The luncheon created a warm and memorable setting, allowing students to be seen not simply as attendees, but as an important part of the story, young people carrying with them the hopes of their families, their country, and a new generation of leadership.
In that sense, the day belonged as much to the students as it did to diplomacy. Their presence gave the occasion its emotional center. They stood as living symbols of the close and continuing bond between AU and Timor-Leste, and of the role education continues to play in deepening international friendship.
As the ministerial delegation departed later that afternoon, the visit left behind more than formal photographs and protocol. It reaffirmed a relationship that has grown through learning, opportunity, and mutual regard, and it honored the Timorese students whose academic journey at AU remains one of the finest expressions of that shared connection.
WRITER : THE AU LIBRARY
More Information about Assumption University of Thailand (AU), please visit:
Website: https://www.au.edu/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/assumptionuniversity
Twitter: https://twitter.com/assumptionu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/assumptionu
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBArL_dL5XiXCiS5pDtyLpQ
Tel: (+66)-2783-2222
