Summary of Weekly Press Briefing

Friday, 11 August 2023 at 11:00 hours

Press Conference Room, MFA and via MFA Facebook Live

1. Maui wildfires in Hawaii, U.S.A.

• Regarding the wildfires erupted in Maui, Hawaii on 8 August 2023, the Royal Thai Consulate -General in LA reported that they had reached out to the Thai communities living in Maui and was informed that a number of affected Thai nationals had already either evacuated to local emergency centers or temporarily moved in with their friends. All 12 Thai students under the Work and Travel program in the area have been reported safe.
• The RTCG established a “Maui rescue” LINE application group chat as a main communication channel for Thai communities in the affected areas, and could be reached via LINE ID: @thaiconsulate.la.
• Approximately 5,000 Thai nationals are living in Hawaii according to the U.S. Census 2020.

2. DPM/FM welcomes U.S. Congressional Delegation during visit to Thailand

• H.E. Mr. Tanee Sangrat, Thai Ambassador to the U.S., led the U.S. Congressional delegation, led by Congressman Jason Smith (R-Missouri), Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, and 7 other Representatives from both Democrats and Republicans to visit Thailand during 2-3 August 2023. The trip aims to strengthen Thailand-U.S. strategic partnership, particularly with the U.S. legislative branch.
• Both sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, supply chain resilience, energy security, counter-measures of transnational crimes, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), among others. They also exchanged views on key regional developments, including the situation in Myanmar.
• DPM/FM expressed appreciation to Rep. Michelle Steel for her leading role in establishing and co-chairing the U.S.-Thai Alliance Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives to support Thailand-U.S. cooperation.
• Following the discussion, DPM/FM hosted a working lunch, attended by high-level representatives from the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade of Thailand, Federation of Thai Industries, American Chamber of Commerce, and Thai and American businesses.

3. Official visit to Thailand of SG of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

• On 8 – 11 August 2023, H.E. Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, OIC Secretary General, visited Thailand.
• During the trip, he called on DPM/FM, who was joined by Rear Admiral Somkeart Ponprayoon, SG of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC), as well as representatives from the relevant authorities. Both sides expressed their commitment to strengthen relations and cooperation, particularly in development and the Strategic Tripartite Development Partnership with the OIC, through the areas Thailand expressed its readiness to contribute its expertise, such as agriculture, aquaculture, tourism, and public health to third countries. SG commended Thailand as a potential partner.
• OIC SG visited Prayurawongsawas Woravihara Temple, Banglaung Mosque, and Santa Cruz Church (“Three Religious Community”) to appreciate the multicultural nature of Thailand where communities of diverse faiths have long coexisted harmoniously.
• On 10 August 2023, OIC SG also called on PM at the Government House. Both sides discussed how Thailand respects freedom of religion and the rights of religious practices of all, while PM noted with appreciation how Thai muslims have played an important role in the country’s development throughout the years.

4. Outcome of 7^th Thailand - India Foreign Office Consultations (FOC)

• H.E. Mr. Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs of India, visited Thailand to co-chair the 7th session of Thailand – India FOC with PS Sarun at the MFA of Thailand on 7 August 2023.
• Both sides noted concrete advancement in various frameworks of cooperation and stressed the importance of maintaining regular engagements and high-level visits, as well as strengthening cooperation in defense and security, trade and investments, connectivity, science, technology, and education.
• Thailand and India agreed to enhance collaboration under sub-regional and regional frameworks, particularly the Mekong - Ganga Cooperation (MGC) and BIMSTEC. Both sides also exchanged views on recent regional and international developments, including the situation in Myanmar and the Indo-Pacific region. They agreed to coordinate closely in the frameworks of ASEAN-India, ACD, and UN.
• Secretary Saurabh Kumar also called on DPM/FM. Both sides reiterated their readiness to continue working closely together to further strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in all dimensions.

5. MFA eases up visa process to promote Thai tourism, especially among Chinese tourists (with DDG Naruchai Ninnad of Consular Affairs Department)

• Following rounds of consultations with concerned authorities, the DCA had recently announced new measures to reduce supporting documents (from 10 down to 6 documents) for tourist visa application and shorten the visa processing time (from 14 down to 7 working days) to promote Thai tourism. The measures have been in effect since 7 August and are expected to facilitate tourists in coming to Thailand.
• The MFA hopes that such accommodation would encourage more usage of the e-Visa service, which is expected to be available in more countries around the world in various languages, including Chinese.

Weekly Press Briefing: https://fb.watch/mlFleULbDZ/

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Press Division
Department of Information