The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand organised the ASEAN Day 2018 celebration on 8 August 2018 at Vithes Samosorn to commemorate the 51^st anniversary of  ASEAN’s establishment. The event aimed to raise awareness on ASEAN and Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2019 among Thai youths and public and was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ executives, and representatives from embassies of ASEAN Member States. Activities included flag hoisting ceremony, “Fifty Years of Thailand in ASEAN” book launch, seminar and ASEAN Quiz.

                H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, presided over the “Fifty Years of Thailand in ASEAN” book launch. The book elaborated Thailand’s role since the establishment of ASEAN in 1967 through a collection of interviews of Thai diplomats and well-known figures in Thai foreign policy in order to raise awareness about ASEAN Community and the impact of ASEAN in their daily lives, and ultimately to help create the sense of belonging among the readers. In addition to the book launch, a seminar on “Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship: Challenges and Opportunities” was held to mark the beginning of the preparation of Thailand’s Chairmanship next year. The speakers included Dr. Suriya Chindawongse, Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, Dr. Jitriya Pinthong, former Ambassador of Thailand and Thai Senior Official to ASEAN and Dr. Darmp Sukontasap, Representative of Thailand to the Governing Council of ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR). The three speakers discussed an overall development of ASEAN in politics, economic, and social and cultural aspects and emphasised that Thailand, as the chair of ASEAN in 2019, would focus on strengthening ASEAN Community that is placing people at the centre, leaving no one behind, and future oriented. Furthermore, three strategies during the Thai Chairmanship namely connectivity, sustainability, and forward-looking were also mentioned as well as the ownership of ASEAN chairmanship that is not restricted to governments of ASEAN member states but should be commonly embraced by all Thai people. The seminar was attended by representatives from government agencies, public sectors, media, and educational institutions.

                Moreover,  300 teachers and students from 83 schools across the country attending the ASEAN Day 2018 celebration also participated in other concurrent activities including ASEAN Quiz, ASEAN exhibitions, ASEAN game stations, and ‘ASEAN for Environment Protection’ station.

                In organising this event, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also set out to integrate environmental issues with ASEAN awareness. The programme and notebooks distributed in the event were made of recycled paper; snack packages and lunch boxes were produced from naturally compostable materials while water dispensers and water bottles were also provided in order to reduce the use of plastic cups and bottles. The Ministry hoped that this small initiative would raise awareness about environmental issues among participants.

                In addition to the ASEAN Day Celebration on 8 August 2018, the Ministry also organised a seminar on 9 August 2018 entitled “Enhancing the Network of ASEAN Library” aiming at enhancing collaboration between the ASEAN Libraries and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enable schools to play a significant role in raising awareness about ASEAN Community at a local level when Thailand assumes the Chairmanship next year. This seminar was part of “One Province, One School, One ASEAN Library” project, initiated in 2014 with the objective to provide sustainable learning tools on ASEAN for students and communities in remote areas, with 44 libraries in 44 provinces established thus far.