86th Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
and the National Day of Thailand
Thursday 5 December 2013
Shangri - La’s Far Eastern Plaza
Your Excellency Ambassador Joseph Shih (โจเซฟ สือ), Deputy Foreign Minister
Excellencies,
Honorable Representatives,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour and privilege for me to welcome you on this auspicious occasion to celebrate the 86th Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which is also the National Day of Thailand.
The very first proclamation of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on His coronation ceremony was “I shall reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people”. Ever since, His Majesty has lived to this oath. His Majesty, the longest reigning monarch in the world, has dedicated 67 years of continuous hard work for the better livelihood of Thais from all walks of life and in every corner of His realm. His Majesty thus has earned respect of Thais and the international community alike.
The tension in Thailand in the past few days whereby there were public confrontations between opposing groups of Thais who differ on the true meaning of the principle of democracy and the rule of law has now subsided, thanks to their shared reverence for His Majesty the King, whose 86th Birthday Anniversary is today. And there are optimistic signs that national harmony is within reach, and that Thailand will continue to grow from strength to strength.
Dear Taiwanese Friends of Thailand,
I am very pleased to inform you that Taiwan has played a significant role in supporting His Majesty’s commendable efforts, with Taiwan’s International and Development Fund having been working closely with the Royal Project Foundation for more than four decades on various agriculture development projects to develop production of new fruits and vegetables, as well as to train farmers in remote parts of northern Thailand in modern agricultural techniques. Hilltribe people have resorted to new sources of income as the substitute for their traditional opium cultivation, thereby leading to the successful end of opium cultivation in Thailand.
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Taiwan and Thailand have enjoyed cordial relations which the Team Thailand here in Taiwan will continue to promote.
Since the Thai National Day celebration last December, we have signed three agreements. Firstly, Ambassador Henry Chen, my Taiwanese counterpart, and I signed a Protocol to activate the Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation.
This year, we signed two instruments; namely, the “Arrangement on Cooperation in Combating Transnational Economic Crime and Other Related Crimes”, and the “Agreement on Educational Cooperation” in January and September, respectively.
In terms of investment, during the first ten months of this year, direct investment from Taiwan to Thailand totalled around 6 billion New Taiwan Dollars. And if we include investment from Taiwanese enterprises abroad, the figure will be almost double, making Taiwan one of Thailand’s top five long-term foreign investors.
Taiwan and Thailand continue to be each other’s important trading partner. Our bilateral trade from January to October this year remained strong, totalling 9.3 billion US dollars. In addition, currently there are some 62,000 Thai workers among the workforce that contributes to Taiwan’s economic prosperity, making Taiwan the biggest destination for expatriate Thai workers.
People-to-People contact between Taiwan and Thailand is also getting better and better. This year, Thailand becomes the fourth most popular destination for Taiwanese holiday makers, and the No.1 among destinations outside Northeast Asia. We welcomed 32 per cent more Taiwanese tourists than we did last year. Thailand continues to look forward to welcoming more and more Taiwanese visitors to Thailand as Thailand still has much more to offer our Taiwanese friends.
Excellencies,
Honorable Representatives,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all those who have extended their kind support to tonight’s event.
May I now invite you to join me in a toast to the good health of His Majesty the King of Thailand, and to the everlasting friendship between the peoples of Taiwan and Thailand.
Long Live the King!
沒有留言:
張貼留言