On 3 November 2017, Mr. Paskorn Siriyaphan, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs presided over the Kathin Ceremony, which had been graciously granted by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, to the congregation of Buddhist monks at Dharmarajika Buddhist Monastery, Dhaka, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi dignitaries were led by H.E. Mr. Asaduzzaman Noor, Minister of Cultural Affairs and Mr. Pranab Kumar Baruya, Secretary-General of Bangladesh Bouddha Kristi Prachar Sangha. Also present at the ceremony were Ms. Panpimon Suwannapongse, Ambassador of Thailand to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Mrs. Linna Tangthasiri, Ambassador attached to the Ministry along with the officials of the Royal Thai Embassy and Thai business community in Bangladesh as well as over 300 Thai and Bangladeshi residents in Dhaka.

          The Royal Kathin Ceremony was first held in Bangladesh in 2010.  This year marked the 3rd Royal Kathin Ceremony in that country.  Dharmarajika Buddhist Monastery, founded in 1962, serves as an important Theravada Buddhist center in Dhaka. The Monastery has played a unique role in the history of the bilateral relation between Thailand and Bangladesh as it was visited by Their Majesties the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej together with Queen Sirikit in 1962 and by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, then the Crown Prince of Thailand, in 1992.  The monastery also houses social and educational institutions, namely a school, a healthcare unit as well as an orphanage which nurtures more than 350 children. 

          The aforesaid Royal Kathin Ceremony was warmly received by both Thai and Bangladeshi Buddhists, who were profoundly appreciative of royal benevolence in supporting Buddhism, not only in Thailand but also in foreign countries.  The Royal Kathin Ceremony was a testimony to the cordial ties of friendship between the peoples of the two countries.  At the end of the Ceremony, donation was made to the monastery which included contributions from His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, as well as Thai and Bangladesh Buddhists with a total amount of THB 591,815.- Also, 44 sacks of rice and 384 pairs of shoes were donated to the Monastery on this occasion.