During 31 May to 2 June 2013, Her Excellency Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand, paid an official visit to Sri Lanka and Maldives, accompanied by a Thai business delegation comprising representatives of business associations and leading Thai private companies, to strengthen business ties with Sri Lanka and Maldives.

On their visit to Sri Lanka, 30 business delegates from 7 sectors – food, energy, tourism, medical tourism, jewelry and accessories, education, and construction – met with the Prime Minister to discuss ways to promote bilateral economic cooperation. The business delegation also attended several business events organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in collaboration with the Board of Investment of Thailand, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The events included a briefing on business and investment opportunities in Sri Lanka and a business networking session, followed by a working lunch among Thai and Sri Lankan businesspeople. The Thai business delegation also had the opportunity to listen to a briefing on Sri Lankan strategic development projects and paid a visit toBOI Katunayake Export Processing Zone.

During the visit to Maldives, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economic Development of Maldives, organized business activities for 29 business delegates representing the tourism, energy and food sectors. The business delegation attended a presentation on investment opportunities in Maldives by representatives from the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Environment of Maldives, followed by a networking session between Thai and Maldivian businesspeople. Moreover, the business delegation paid a study visit to Hulhumale, a reclaimed island that the Government of Maldives plans to use for housing, industrial and commercial development in the Male region. In addition, the representatives from the energy sector held a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Environment and visited renewable energy sites in Male. Concurrently, the Loxley Public Company Limited attended a joint meeting with Ministry of Home Affairs, Maldives Police Services and Maldives Airports Company Limited to discuss potential opportunities in security systems related projects.

The visit of the Thai business delegation was successfully concluded with the signing of 2 MoUs in Sri Lanka, namely: MoU between the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking, and MoU on Strategic Cooperation between the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka and Police Medical School of Thailand. In Maldives, 3 MoUs were signed namely: MoU between the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking, MoU between ADK Hospital and Thonburi Hospital Group, and MoU between Loxley Public Company Limited and AGT International and Ministry of Home Affairs of Maldives on Safe Cities.