Meeting Paetongtarn Shinawatra, attending Bimstec summit: PM Modi’s packed Thailand trip

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed to Thailand.

Modi, who will spend two days in Thailand, will meet his counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Modi will also attend the 6th Bimstec Summit.

“The upcoming visit will present an opportunity to build on the positive momentum in our bilateral ties since the visit of the Prime Minister in 2019. The Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra. This will be his second meeting with the Thai Prime Minister. He had earlier met her on the margins of the ASEAN summit in Vientiane on 11th of October last year,” Secretary East Jadeep Mazumdar said.

But what do we know about Modi’s trip? What can we expect?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know?

Modi will visit Thailand on Thursday and Friday (April 3 and 4).

As per The Times of India, this is Modi’s third visit to Thailand.

It is the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Thailand in over a decade.

He is slated to meet Shinawatra at the Government House – where he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome.

Modi will also be given a grand welcome by the Indian community in Thailand.

Modi and his Shinawatra are slated to visit Wat Pho – one of Thailand’s top temples famed for its massive reclining Buddha statue.

On Thursday evening, the Prime Minister will join the leaders of other Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) nations  – Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan – for the signing of the Agreement on Maritime Cooperation.

The Bimstec summit will bring Modi face to face with Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, among others.

This would be the first physical meeting of the Bimstec leaders since the 4th Bimstec Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2018. The last summit was held in Colombo in March 2022 in virtual format.

On Friday, Modi will call on Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, and Queen Suthida.

The Prime Minister will attend the Bimstec Summit on Friday morning.

Bimstec was established on June 6, 1997, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.

What can we expect on Thailand?

Mazumdar said that Modi and Shinawatra will review progress in the entire gamut of bilateral relations between the countries.

“They will review the progress in the entire gamut of bilateral relations and ways to add greater momentum to the India-Thailand bilateral partnership and also exchange views on the regional and multilateral issues,” he said.

Mazumdar said that a number of agreements and bilateral documents are expected to be signed during the visit.

“A number of agreements and declarations are likely to be concluded at the summit. I might also add that the present Secretary General of BIMSE is an Indian ambassador Indibani Pandey, a very distinguished Indian Foreign Service officer who took over as SG last year,” he said.

Mazumdar said that as a maritime neighbour, Thailand and India’s ties cover multifaceted bilateral aspects.

“As you know, India and Thailand have historically warm bilateral relations, shared civilisational, cultural, and religious bonds. Thailand is India’s maritime neighbour, a valuable partner in our Act East policy and vision for the Indo-Pacific, and also a highly valued partner in Bimstec. Our bilateral ties are multifaceted and cover a range of joint cooperation from defence and security to trade and investment, connectivity, science, technology, innovation, education, space, health, culture, tourism, and people to people exchanges,” he said.

He pointed out that the trade between both countries is almost $15 billion.

“Thailand is the 3rd largest economy in ASEAN and our 4th largest trading partner after Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia in the ASEAN region. Our trade is almost $15 billion and our exports to Thailand are about $5 billion and imports from Thailand about almost $10 billion,” he said.

“Last year at the request of the government of Thailand, India had sent the holy relics of Lord Buddha and two of his main disciples for a 25-day exposition over 5 different cities of Thailand. And this was from 25th of February to the 9th of March, and around 4 million people paid their obeisance to the relics,” he added.

Mazumdar said that the success of this expositions shows India’s cooperation with Thailand in various groups.

“The unprecedented success of this exposition is a reaffirmation of our age-old indelible religious and cultural ties between the two countries. India and Thailand cooperate in ASEAN and the East Asia Summit process, and as I said in the Bay of Bengal initiative for multi-sectoral, technical and Economic Cooperation, the Mekong Ganga Cooperation, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association,” he said.

What can we expect on Bimstec?

India TV News quoted the MEA as saying that Bimstec leaders are likely to consider how to increase cooperation with each other.

The theme for this year’s summit is “BIMSTEC – Prosperous, Resilient and Open.”

The regional grouping is expected to adopt the Bangkok Vision 2030.

The Bangkok Vision 2030 will likely set a clear direction and goals for cooperation and promote the region as an area of peace, stability and economic sustainability.

It will also examine collaborating to reduce the impact of climate change.

“Bimstec, you know, is a unique organisation. You know, if you look at it, it is an institution which can be a vehicle for India’s neighbourhood first policy, and also our Act East Policy. It is a bridge between South Asia and the Southeast Asia region,” Indian Ambassador to Thailand Nagesh Singh said.

“At the forthcoming Bangkok summit, the Bangkok Vision 2030 will be adopted, and the report of the Bimstec Eminent Persons Group will also be endorsed to chart the future direction of Bimstec,” Mazumdar said.

Mazumdar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally invested in Bimstec and had invited Bimstec leaders in his 2019 inauguration.

“Significant recent development in Bimstec has been that the charter has come into force in May last year. This gives the grouping an international personality, lays down its principles and purposes, and also the basic institutional architecture of the grouping. Prime Minister Modi’s decision to host the Bimstec leaders retreat in Goa in 2016 was a signal development for BIMSTEC. The Prime Minister is personally invested in BIMSTEC. He also invited all the BIMSTEC leaders to his inauguration in 2019,” he said.

What do experts say?

A piece in The Print said Modi’s trip “offers a chance to build on these deep-rooted ties and explore new areas of cooperation.”

The piece noted that both sides are keen to operationalise the Trilateral Highway from Moreh (Manipur) to Mae Sot on the Thai–Myanmar border.

However, it noted that the project is delayed.

“It is, therefore, timely that Prime Minister Modi is going to Thailand not only to attend the Bimstec summit but also for a bilateral visit. India’s Act East policy, announced by the Prime Minister in 2014, is complemented by Thailand’s Act West policy. India’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific complements the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, articulated by Thailand during its chairmanship of ASEAN in 2019,” the piece stated.

The piece predicted that the India-Thailand partnership will rise to new heights.

“…Prime Minister Modi’s forthcoming visit to Thailand will provide an excellent opportunity for both sides to upgrade the relationship into that of a strategic partnership. That will also be in line with the MAHASAGAR vision of regional maritime cooperation he has recently articulated.”

Modi’s trip comes in the backdrop of an earthquake rocking Myanmar and Thailand.

In Thailand, the quake a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers.

Two bodies were pulled from the rubble Monday and another was recovered Tuesday, but dozens were still missing.

Overall, there were 22 people killed and 34 injured in Bangkok, primarily at the construction site.

There is expected to be no change in Modi’s schedule.

India TV News quoted the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as saying, “We are in touch with authorities on this. There is nothing at the moment to indicate, either way, whether it is going to have any effect on the summit.”

With inputs from agencies