In memoriam Chris Sanders

Singapore, 11 June 2010

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Chris Sanders. After a long and courageous fight, he has finally found his rest. Chris was the Dutch Ambassador to Singapore from 2005 to 2009. Although he fulfilled his many functions with zeal, he took a particular interest in questions related to peace and security. Thanks to his impressive knowledge and experience in this field, his conviction that he could make a difference, and his warm personality, he was able to achieve commendable results.

His career began at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974, where he became a specialist in security issues. He was first named Ambassador in 1991, to Oman. He served in that capacity until 1995, and his subsequent postings were Consul General in Hong Kong from 1995 to 1997, and Director of International Security Policy, MFA, in The Hague from 1997 to 1999. In the years just prior to his move to Singapore, from 1999 to 2005, Chris served as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

At numerous occasions, both formal and informal, he and his wife Marianne proved a strong and well-liked team who represented the Netherlands with energy and enthusiasm. Due to his genuine interest in people, Chris made numerous friends in the Dutch community, in the Corps Diplomatique, and in Singaporean circles. He will remain in all of our memories as unfailingly friendly and cheerful, a pleasure to spend time with, both personally and professionally. Christiaan Cornelis Sanders passed away on June 1st, and the funeral ceremony took place on June 7th at the Algemene Begraafplaats in Den Haag, The Netherlands.

Our thoughts and sympathy are with his wife Marianne, his family and friends.

On behalf of the entire staff of the Embassy in Singapore and the Consulate in Brunei, as well as their partners.

Johannes W. Gunivortus Jansing
Ambassador