On 9 September 2023, H.E. Ms. Vimolbajra Ruksakiati, Ambassador of Thailand to Norway gave an opening remarks at the Workshop on the Norwegian laws under the popular topics among Thai community, namely (1) division of properties after separation, divorce or death of a spouse (2) violence in family and (3) pension after retirement. The Workshop was organized by the Thai Women’s Association in Norway with a support from the Royal Thai Embassy in Oslo, at Buddhachinnawong Temple (Buddhachinnawong Meditasjons Senter) in Kristiansand.

The Workshop was conducted by members of the Thai Women’s Association in Norway who attended training courses held by the Legal Counselling for women (JURK), Faculty of Law, University of Oslo to be the JURK Ambassadors. Thai community of around 33 people from Kristiansand and nearby cities, namely Egersund, Mandal, Lillesand, Vennesla and Tønsberg attended the event. The main goal of this workshop was to share knowledges and experiences on the above-mentioned matters with the Thai community in Norway, in order for them to understand their basic rights, receive consultations and establish a networking among the Thai community and the Thai Women’s Association in Norway.

The Workshop on the Norwegian laws parallelly took place in Kristiansand during the Mobile Consular Unit of the Royal Thai Embassy in Oslo. Both activities complement each other in empowering the Thai community in Norway. Last year in September, the legal workshops by the Thai Women’s Association in Norway were also organized in parallel with the Mobile Consular Unit in Sandness/Stavanger and Ålesund. This year, after Kristiansand, both events will soon take place on 23 September 2023 in Kirkenes.