Ambassador of Thailand to Brunei Darussalam Boosara Kanchanalai, in her welcoming remarks at a reception marking the birthday anniversary of late Thailand King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, Thailand’s National Day, Father’s Day, and the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations betweenThailand and Brunei, underscored the friendship and ties established by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, 40 years ago.
She recalled several occasions celebrating a milestone in the history of bilateral ties between Brunei Darussalam and Thailand.
She cited, “His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s visit to Thailand in April, especially the meeting between His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, King of Thailand His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua, Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen, is the highlight of a year-long celebration of diplomatic relations.”
She added, “The bilateral meeting between His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the Prime Minister of Thailand during the visit provided further impetus for our relations and charted cooperation in the coming decades. Concrete outcomes that I wish to emphasise are the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Thailand’s Government Pension Fund and the Brunei Investment Agency, and the MoU on Tourism Cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand and the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism of Brunei Darussalam.”
She also highlighted, “Other areas of cooperation discussed at the meeting, such as the halal industry, food and energy security, were taken up by the relevant agencies. The Joint Working Group on Agricultural Cooperation in June concluded with six cooperative projects on the livestock industry, sustainable agriculture, water management, and aquaculture. In August, we also welcomed a visit by high-level officials from the Ministry of Industry and entrepreneurs from Thailand to promote cooperation on halal food and industry.”
She said, “Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Thailand had a productive bilateral meeting with His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam on the sidelines of the recent ASEAN Summit in Vientiane. Both sides reiterated their mutual commitment to strengthening cooperation on food security and investment.”
Next year, she revealed, “We look forward to the convening of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Brunei Darussalam and anticipate discussions to enhance wide-ranging areas of cooperation as well as facilitating business engagements in the private sector. I welcome a recently signed long-term agreement between PTT International Trading of Thailand and BLNG, which will contribute to a greater energy supply to Thailand starting next year.” The Thai ambassador also highlighted two strong areas of cooperation that continue to be strengthened.
She explained, “On military and defence, our two countries regularly engage high-level visits and meetings. Thailand takes pride in annually participating in activities to commemorate Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day, especially the Solidarity Jump this year.
Moreover, in March, three major ships of the Royal Thai Navy with over 800 officers made a historic visit for training and goodwill missions. “I am very delighted to see more scholarships and exchange programmes sponsored by both governments and leading universities. This year, the Royal Thai Embassy also launched a ‘Thai Book Corner’ at Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB), to promote people-to-people relations, facilitating knowledge exchange, and cultivating cross-cultural understanding which, in turn, contributes to the strengthening of the ASEAN Community.”
The event, at the Royal Berkshire Hall, Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club, Jerudong, saw Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Muhammad Juanda bin Haji Abdul Rashid and spouse, Datin Fadzlin binti Haji Hashim participating.
The highlight of the reception was the cutting of a cake to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. – James Kon
