New AIT spokesperson Pope Thrower takes office

Taipei, Aug. 2 (CNA) Pope Thrower, the new spokesperson of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) who has previously served in South Korea, Vietnam, Pakistan and China, took office on Wednesday.

Thrower served as the director for public engagement at the United States Embassy in Seoul prior to joining the institute, which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

His previous overseas assignments also included serving as spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and assistant spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, the AIT said in a statement issued Friday afternoon.

Thrower has also served in Chengdu, China, as well as held Washington-based roles as desk officer of the Pakistan Desk and the Sri Lanka and Maldives Desk, the statement said.

In the same statement, the AIT introduced its new deputy spokesperson, Andy Dilbert, who took office on July 26.

Dilbert served as the spokesperson of the U.S. Embassy in Algeria before joining the AIT, and his overseas assignments have included serving as cultural and educational attaché in Haiti and deputy cultural attaché in Israel, according to the statement.