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.

Life and career

Born on 31 May 1952 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Hamzah was educated at

Jayabaya University Jayabaya University is a private university in Jakarta, precisely on Jalan Pulomas Selatan Kav 23, East Jakarta. Founded on October 5, 1958 by Prof. Dr. Moeslim Taher when he was 24 years old. Currently the Rector of Jayabaya University is held ...

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

. He started his career as a public relations officer at the national secretariat of

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

in 1975. 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 In early 2006, a furore erupted in Indonesia over the Australian government's decision to grant temporary protection visas to 42 Indonesian asylum seekers from West Papua region. The controversy caused diplomatic tension as well as a "war of cart ...

. 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. Hamzah was temporarily recalled to Indonesia when the Australian Government granted the Papuans asylum. He arrived back in Canberra in June 2006. In 2012, he was part of the State visit of President

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born 9 September 1949), commonly referred to by his initials SBY, is an Indonesian politician and retired army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party ...

to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

. In 2013, Hamzah was named 'Diplomat of the Year from Asia 2013' by ''

The Diplomat ''The Diplomat'' is an international online news magazine covering politics, society, and culture in the Indo-Pacific region. It is based in Washington, D.C. It was originally an Australian bi-monthly print magazine, founded by Minh Bui Jones ...

'', whilst serving as Indonesian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. His father

Hadi Thayeb Teuku Mohammad Hadi Thayeb (14 September 1922 – 10 January 2014) was a senior Indonesia diplomat and politician. Thayeb, one of Indonesia's first diplomats, was a co-founder of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1945. He also served as the na ...

had also been the Indonesian ambassador to the UK and Ireland, in the early 1990s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thayeb, Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Indonesian diplomats Living people 1952 births Ambassadors of Indonesia to Australia Acehnese people Indonesian Muslims Ambassadors of Indonesia to the United Kingdom Honorary Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Jayabaya University alumni