Yuri Thamrin was destined to rise high, named as he was after the first man in space Yuri Gagarin.

But instead of space travel, Indonesia’s Ambassador to London was inspired to be a diplomat by his uncle, who was ambassador to Saudi Arabia – and who sent him stamps from all over the world.

A specialist in Southeast Asian and Pacific affairs, Thamrin arrives after a hectic spell as Director of East Asian and Pacific Affairs where he was chief negotiator in a raft of bilateral talks.

In one month alone, he recalls arranging 10 meetings, six at head of state level, and four at ministerial level, on a wide variety of issues, from the scarcity of oil and water and territorial issues (border diplomacy) to environmental and security concerns.

Prior to that he was foreign affairs spokesperson and chief of staff to the foreign minister, a job that took him around the world. A multilateral expert specialising in arms control, he also spent a number of years in New York.

“So bilateral diplomacy is new to me, but I am looking forward to it,” he says.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Indonesia’s democratic revolution which saw the toppling of strongman President Suharto and the Ambassador sees it as his primary task to change the British public’s perception of his country.

“Sometimes I think we are slightly misrepresented and it’s my job to change that,” he says.

Indonesia has transformed over the past decade. Before, the sprawling archipelago comprising over 200 ethnic groups – was held together by the army and a strongman.

“But when the strongman becomes weak, the state becomes weak,” explains Thamrin. “If you have a working democratic system, it doesn’t matter who is in charge, the system works. We still have a long way to go...but we are trying our best.”

Decentralisation of power brought about the independence of East Timor as well as the Aceh peace process after the Asian Tsunami. Corruption is being rooted out and the ‘untouchable’ officials from the Suharto regime are being brought to justice, he adds.

The government has also gone a long way to tackle extremism, he says. “Before the Bali bombings, we didn’t worry too much about radical groups such as Jamaat Islamiya. But after the terrorist attacks we realised we needed to face this threat.”

But it was a delicate matter, he adds. “If we spoke out against Jamaat Islamiya, people would accuse us of being a puppet of the West – and in a democracy, you don’t want to antagonise your public! Bit by bit we tried to enhance awareness.”

Six years on and Indonesia’s deradicalisation programmes are considered to be some of the best in the world. “We realised that you cannot fight terrorism with force alone,” explains Thamrin. “It’s a community effort. We encouraged mainstream people to reach out and educate these radicals. We also have special programmes to re-orient terrorist leaders towards moderate teachings – now these leaders are helping the government.”

Indonesia also cooperates with its ASEAN neighbours and others on technical aspects of counter-terrorism.

“The problem of extremism in Indonesia is greatly reduced, but we cannot be complacent,” he says.

More jobs and a healthy economy are important, not only in combating extremism, but also in creating a middle class that can strengthen Indonesia’s democracy, says Thamrin.

One of his priorities in London is to get British business involved. “Britain and Indonesia share a strategic economic relationship,” he says, “in energy, public utilities, banking and technical areas.”

In an age of food scarcity, Indonesia is a fertile country full of opportunity, he continues. But he adds that the developmental needs of the people will need to be carefully balanced with environmental concerns, such as the difficult issue of deforestation.

He also wants to boost tourism: “We have much to offer yet only 163,000 Brits visited Indonesia so there is room for improvement.”

It’s a full agenda, but Yuri Thamrin, Indonesia’s ‘Rocket Man in Residence’ is ready to launch.