Embassy of India
Bangkok

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Brief on India - Thailand Relations

      India and Thailand have historically enjoyed warm bilateral relations. In the contemporary times, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1947 and both sides celebrated the 75^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022.

2. The bilateral ties are multifaceted and cover a wide spectrum of areas including trade and investment, defence and security; connectivity; culture and tourism; education; science and technology; and people to people exchanges. Further, the ‘Act West’ policy of Thailand complements India's ‘Act East’ policy. Thailand is also India’s maritime neighbour.

3. In the context of regional and sub-regional groupings, Thailand is an important partner of India including in the ASEAN; the East Asia Summit (EAS); the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC), the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).

High Level Exchanges

4. High level visits and meetings have taken place on a regular basis between both the sides. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi accompanied by External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar and Commerce and Industries Minister (CIM) Shri Piyush Goyal visited Thailand from 02-04 November 2019 to attend ASEAN related Summits (16^th ASEAN India Summit, 14^th East Asia Summit and related events). During the visit, PM addressed a community event “Sawadee Modi” on 02 November, which was attended by around 5000 members of the Indian community; had a bilateral meeting with then Prime Minister of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha on 03 November; and also released a special commemorative coin to mark the 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and the Thai translation of Tamil book, Thirukkural. Earlier, PM Modi visited Bangkok to pay tributes to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on 10 November 2016.

5. From Thailand, then Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha visited India from 24-26 January 2018 for the India-ASEAN Special Commemorative Summit and as a Guest of Honour for the Republic Day Parade 2018 along with other ASEAN leaders. Then Prime Minister of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Industry Minister and Culture Minister, paid a state visit to India from 16-18 June 2016, and held extensive dialogue with various interlocutors.

6. Further, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Prime Minister of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha met on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan in June 2019. They also met on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Singapore on 14 November 2018; and on the margins of the 4^th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu on 31 August 2018.

7. In addition to the above, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with then Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on 01 May 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The two leaders exchanged views on effectively dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed upon collaboration for Research and Development in the field of medical sciences and vaccine development. Subsequently, the two sides signed an MoU in this regard in August 2022.

8. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, has been a regular visitor to India. She is a member of the International Advisory Panel of Nalanda University. She is recipient of Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace (2004); first World Sanskrit Award (2016); and Padma Bhushan (2017).

Foreign Ministers Meetings

9. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar visited Bangkok from 15-18 July 2023 to co-chair the MGC Foreign Ministers' Meeting (MCG FMM), along with the Foreign Minister of Lao PDR, and to participate in the first BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' (FMs) Retreat hosted by Thailand in Bangkok. EAM paid a joint call on then Prime Minister of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha on 17 July 2023 along with other BIMSTEC FMs. On the sidelines of MGC FMM and BIMSTEC FMs Retreat, he also held bilateral meetings with Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bangladesh.

10. Earlier, EAM visited Bangkok from 16-18 August 2022 to co-chair the 9^th Meeting of India-Thailand Joint Commission (JCM) with Mr. Don Pramudwinai, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (DPM/FM) of Thailand on 17 August 2022. During the visit, EAM paid a courtesy call on General Prayut Chan-o-cha, then Prime Minister of Thailand on 17 August 2022. EAM’s other engagements included interaction with the Indian Community on 16 August 2022; joint inauguration of the newly constructed Embassy Residence and Residential Complex, along with Deputy PM and FM of Thailand; and a public talk on “India’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific” at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University on 18 August 2022.

11. EAM also attended ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting, the 9^th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (EAS FMM), 26^th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and 10^th MGC Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok on 1-2 August 2019.

12. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, then DPM/FM of Thailand visited India and met EAM on 30 January 2023 and met various interlocutors. He also visited India to attend the 8^th JCM on 10 October 2019.

13. In addition to the above, EAM and then DPM/FM interacted on the sidelines of BRICS meeting on 24 August 2023 in South Africa; and also on the sidelines of the 56^th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings in Jakarta on 13 July 2023.

Parliamentary Interaction

14. Shri Om Birla, Speaker of Lok Sabha met Mr. Chuan Leekpai, then Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand on the sidelines of P20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on 07 October 2022. Both sides agreed on strengthening parliamentary cooperation between India and Thailand.

Other High Level Meetings

15. DPM/FM of Thailand Mr. Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara addressed the second edition of the Voice of Global South Summit on 17 November 2023. Further, on 12 January 2023, then Prime Minister of Thailand, General Prayut Chan-o-Cha, participated virtually at the first Voice of Global South Summit.

16. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health & Family Welfare of India, met with Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health of Thailand, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on 17 January 2023 and discussed cooperation in the fields of digital health, disease surveillance system and pandemic management among other matters of mutual interest.

17. Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Education visited Thailand from 29-31 July 2022 to attend the 2^nd edition of North-East India Festival. Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit, then Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Commerce, Government of Thailand and Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, jointly inaugurated the Festival on 30 July 2022 in the presence of Chief Ministers of Meghalaya and Nagaland, Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and other Ministers and senior officials from the North Eastern States of India. During the visit, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh held a bilateral meeting with then Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, on 29 July 2022.

18. Ms. Pornpimol Kanchanalak, then Advisor to Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand visited India to attend the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Minister Meeting (SAIFMM) as Special Envoy of DPM/FM Don on 16 June 2022 in New Delhi. During the visit, she attended a joint call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had bilateral meetings with EAM and Secretary (East). She also attended Delhi Dialogue XII on 16 June 2022.

19. Smt. Anupriya Singh Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, visited Bangkok, Thailand from 22-24 May 2022 to attend the 78^th Commission Session of UNESCAP. On the sidelines of the Commission session, she held meetings with Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of UNGA and Ms. Armida Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary, UNESCAP and discussed issues of mutual interest.

20. The Embassy in association with Triratnabhoomi Society of Thailand organized an exposition on Buddhist heritage sites of India under the theme of ‘Buddhabhoomi: Journey along the Footsteps of Buddha’ from 26-28 August 2022 in Bangkok. Ms. Usha Thakur, then Tourism Minister of Madhya Pradesh visited Thailand to attend the event.

21. Ambassadors of India, Australia, Japan & the Cd'A of the US in Thailand jointly presented 200,000 doses of Made in India Covovax vaccines to Thailand under the Quad Vaccine Partnership on 21 April 2022. This was in fulfillment of the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC in September 2021 to donate 500,000 doses of COVID vaccines to countries in the Indo-Pacific region under the Quad Vaccine Partnership.

Bilateral Institutional Mechanisms

22. Joint Commission Meeting (JCM): The 9^th round of JCM was held in Bangkok on 16-17 August 2022. EAM and then DPM/FM Mr. Don Pramudwinai co-chaired the JCM on 17 August. The JCM was preceded by Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) on 16 August 2022. The entire gamut of bilateral relations was reviewed during these meetings and two MoUs, namely, (i) MoU on Health and Medical Research Cooperation between Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India and Department of Medical Sciences (DMS), Thailand; and (ii) MoU for Cooperation & Collaboration on Broadcasting between Prasar Bharti, India and Thai Public Broadcasting Service of Thailand were signed.

23. Foreign Office Consultations (FOC): The 7^th round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Thailand, co-chaired by Secretary (East), Shri Saurabh Kumar and Thai Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan, were held on 07 August 2023 in Bangkok. During the meeting, both sides took stock of bilateral relations, including defence and security, science and technology, connectivity, education and people-to-people contacts as well as regional issues of mutual interests.

24. Bilateral Dialogues: India and Thailand have institutionalized various dialogue mechanisms such as Joint Working Group (JWG) on Security Cooperation; on Education; on Visa and Consular matters; and Joint Task Force (JTF) on Maritime Cooperation. The two sides meet regularly to discuss bilateral cooperation and international developments in these areas.

Defence Cooperation

25. The MoU on Defence Cooperation between India and Thailand was signed on 25 January 2012. The ongoing defence cooperation initiatives comprise of joint maritime patrolling by the navies of both countries, annual staff talks, subject matter expert exchange visits and training of officers at each other’s institutions, trilateral/multilateral military exercises etc.

Economic & Commercial Cooperation

26. Bilateral trade between two countries increased manifold in recent years. In 2022, it reached a record high of USD 17.7 billion. The trade figures between the two countries in last few years are as under:

(amount in billion USD)

27. Major Indian companies in Thailand include the Tata group – Tata Steel Thailand, and Tata Consultancy Services, Aditya Birla Group, Tech Mahindra, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd., L&T, Bajaj Auto, NRB Bearing, Ranbaxy, Camper Pharmaceuticals Coforge Ltd, Usha Siam Steel Industries PLC, KEC International, Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd., Desmond International, Apollo Tyres, etc.

28. Leading Thai companies in the fields of agro-processing, construction, automotive and engineering have active and growing business presence in India. Some of the noteable Thai companies active in India are – Charoen Pokphand Group, Italian Thai Development PCL, The Thai Union Frozen Products PCL, Thai Summit Neel Auto Pvt. Ltd., Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL, Srithai Superware PCL (Melamine tableware manufacturing), Siam Makro PCL, Global Renewable Synergy Co (GRSC), etc.

Cultural and Tourism Cooperation

29. An Indian Cultural Centre was opened in Bangkok in September 2009 [it has since been renamed as the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre]. The India-Thailand Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for the years 2022-2027 was signed by Minister of Culture of India and Minister of Culture of Thailand in a virtual ceremony held on 22 December 2022.

30. Regular visits of Indian cultural troupes to Thailand are organized, in addition to Indian films, food and other festivals. Several commemorative events were organized to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2022, as well as to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of India’s Independence under the theme of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. Further, as one of the three countries requested by the Government of Thailand, an eight-member dance troupe from India performed during the 241^st anniversary celebrations of the foundation of Rattanakosin (Bangkok) in April 2023; and Mission facilitated the participation of an Indian dance troupe at the Candle Festival Procession in Ubon Ratchathani Province on 01-02 August 2023.

31. The 9^th International Day of Yoga was celebrated in Bangkok on 18 June 2023 in Chulalongkorn University grounds in Bangkok. More than 4000 yoga enthusiasts from different walks of life participated in the event.

32. Thailand has been directly connected with more than 15 Indian cities with approximately 400 weekly flights with seasonal variation. As per Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, around 1.6 million Indian tourists visited Thailand in 2023, which is around 6% of total tourist inflow (around 27 million) into Thailand.

Cooperation in the field of Education

33. MoU on Cooperation in the field of Education was signed in 2005. India offers around 75 scholarships annually under various schemes to Thailand. India also offered 1,000 Ph.D. fellowships at the IITs to ASEAN countries, including 100 slots to Thailand. Currently, there are 6 Indian Studies Centers and 13 India Corners in various Thai Universities/institutions.

34. Recipients of Padma Awards: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn received the Padma Bhushan in 2017 and HH Somdet Phra Ariyawongsakhatayan, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, who is an alumnus of BHU, received the Padma Shri in 2018. In March 2022, Dr. Chirapat Prapandvidya received the Padma Shri under the category of ‘Literature and Education’.

Indian Diaspora in Thailand

35. The total number of people of Indian origin in Thailand is estimated to be around 250,000. The community comprises mainly of Punjabi Hindus, Namdhari and other Sikh sects, Gorakhpuris, Malayalis, Tamils, Gujaratis, Marwaris, and Sindhis. Other linguistic and regional groups are also well represented. Further, there are over 25,000 NRIs, majority of whom are concentrated in Bangkok

Embassy & Consulate

36. Besides the Embassy in Bangkok, India has a Consulate in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.

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08 January 2024