9th India-Thailand Joint Commission Meeting: Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India recently paid an official visit to Bangkok, Thailand.

Key Highlights:

• He visited Bangkok from 16-18 August 2022 to co-chair the 9th Meeting of India-Thailand Joint Commission (JCM) with H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand.
• As part of his visit, he the Devasthan in Bangkok.

• The Devasthan is the Royal Brahmin Office of the Thai Royal Court and is the official centre of Hinduism in Thailand.

• During the visit Dr, Jaishankar along with Thailand’s DPM & Foreign Minister signed Agreed Minutes of JCM, which will guide further course of bilateral relations.
• Both ministers also witnessed signing of: -

1. MoU on Health and Medical Research Cooperation between Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India and Department of Medical Sciences (DMS), Thailand;
2. MoU for Cooperation & Collaboration on Broadcasting between Prasar Bharti, India and Thai Public Broadcasting Service of Thailand.

• EAM and H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand also jointly inaugurated the newly constructed Embassy Residence and Residential Complex.

Key Points of the 9th JCM:

• The 9th JCM was held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere. Both Ministers discussed wide ranging issues of mutual interest and reviewed the progress made in various areas, including political, defence & security, economic & commercial, connectivity, cultural, tourism and people-to-people ties.
• The Ministers welcomed the ongoing activities to celebrate the historic occasion of 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Thailand.
• Both sides also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest and reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the multi-dimensional partnership that exist between the two countries.
• The talks were followed by a Joint Press Conference addressed by the two Ministers.
• The JCM was preceded by the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) held on 16 August 2022 where the two sides held detailed discussions on various areas of bilateral cooperation along with regional and multilateral issues.

India and the Southeast Asia Links:

• India and the Southeast Asia region share a long history of cultural and commercial relations.
• The classical Sanskrit and Pali texts from India carry references of the region using various names such as Suvarnabhumi (the land of god) or Suvarnadvipa (the golden island), Kathakosha, indicating that this was a region that attracted Indian merchants.
• In more recent times, European and Indian scholars have referred to Southeast Asia as ‘Farther India’, ‘Greater India’, or ‘Hinduised or Indianised states’.
• The Ramayana, also known as Ramakriti (the splendour of Rama) or Ramakien (the story of Rama) in Thailand, has given both the rich elite and the common man a means of expressing their culture.
• Episodes from the epic are painted on the walls of Buddhist temples and enacted in dramas and ballets.