On 27 April 2023, Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, had a meeting with the Honourable Andrew Giles MP, Australian Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, and Multicultural Affairs, during the latter’s visit to Thailand from 24 - 27 April 2023.

Both sides exchanged information and views on the challenges of irregular migration in the region. They also discussed cooperation at both the bilateral and regional levels through the Bali Process (co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia) in assisting and protecting irregular migrants; countering smuggling and trafficking in persons and related transnational crimes; and designing durable solutions for various groups of irregular migrants in Thailand in line with the principle of responsibility and burden sharing.

The Australian Minister commended the active roles of Thailand in the provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need. He also appreciated developments in Thailand’s National Screening Mechanism (NSM), which would in turn further strengthen social protection and extend rights to migrants in need in Thailand.