Thai experience may oil the wheels for Tillerson
REX TILLERSON, who has moved a step closer to becoming the US secretary of state, can claim some familiarity with Thailand after having headed an energy operation here in the 1990s.
Tillerson, US President Donald Trump’s pick for the top diplomatic post in his administration, served as president of Esso Exploration and Production Korat from 1995-98. He was also president of Exxon Yemen at the time.
Tillerson scraped through a vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with 10 Democrats voting against his nomination; 11 Republicans voted in favour.
His nomination for the post by the new Republican president remains subject to a full vote by the Republican-majority Senate.
Tillerson, with a degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, oversaw the Thai exploration and production unit of Esso in Khon Kaen province. The unit operated a small natural-gas field. He was not permanently posted in Thailand; instead, he made trips from the United States.
His tenure coincided with the terms of three prime ministers: Banharn Silapa-archa, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Chuan Leekpai.
Tillerson became chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp in 2006 and in that capacity visited the Thai operation in 2012.
