Former foreign minister and ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan died of an acute heart attack on Thursday. He was 68. Surin collapsed while preparing to speak at the Thailand Halal Assembly 2017 at Bitec in Bang Na, Bangkok.  Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said his death was a great loss for the country. Meanwhile, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva called his death a great loss not only for the party but also for the nation and the world. Surin was born on Oct 28, 1949 in Muang district, Nakhon Si Thammarat. He graduated from Claremont College in California in political science in 1972 and earned a master’s degree and a doctoral degree from Harvard University. Family and friends are paying their last respects at his house on Soi Pitsuwan, tambon Sai Ma, Muang district, Nonthaburi province.