Summary of Weekly Press Briefing

Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 10:30 hours

Press Conference Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and MFA FB Live

1. The holy relics of the Lord Buddha and the holy relics of the Venerable Arahants of Sariputta and the Venerable Arahant Moggallana from India will be temporarily enshrined in Thailand

• The Ministry of Culture, together with a number of public and private agencies, the Bodhigayavijjalaya 980 Institute, and the Government of India, are transporting the holy relics of the Lord Buddha and the holy relics of the Venerable Arahants of Sariputta and the Venerable Arahant Moggallana from the Republic of India to be placed temporarily in a shrine in Sanam Luang, Bangkok, and three other provices, namely, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, and Krabi, during 23 February – 18 March 2024.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi have been coordinating with the Government of India to facilitate the transport.
• This marks the first time that the people of Thailand and her neighbouring countries are able to pay respects to the holy relics of the Lord Buddha and the Venerable Arahant of Sariputta and Moggallana, which are known as “Kapilvastu Relics” from Sanchi. This is an important milestone in the promotion of Buddhism and a historical moment in Thailand – India relations.
• Buddhists in Thailand and her neighbouring countries are invited to witness and pay respects to the holy relics, at a festive parade which will proceed in Sanam Luang on 23 February 2024 from 16:00 hours onwards. This ceremony will also be broadcast through MCOT, NBT and Phralan’s facebook page.
• Ceremonies to be conducted in three other provinces include:
• Chiangmai: 5-8 March 2024 at the Royal Park Ratchapruek;
• Ubon Ratchathani: 10-13 March 2024 at Wat Maha Wanaram;
• Krabi: 15-18 March 2024 at Wat Maha That Wachiramongkol.

2. Upcoming missions by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

• The DPM/FM’s visit to Berlin and Bremen, Germany, during 21 – 25 February
  • On 21 February 2024, DPM/FM gave policy guidance to Team Thailand in Germany and delivered a keynote address at a seminar by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, under the theme “Thailand and Germany: Perspectives and Opportunities in the Indo-Pacific,” underscoring Thailand’s role and perspectives, especially on regional security issues.
  • On 23 February 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister will be en route to Bremen to give opening remarks and attend the 123^rd OAV Stiftungsfest, aimed at building the confidence of Germany’s business sector, especially in the automobile, logistics and maritime industries in Thailand.
  • This visit to Germany is a follow-up visit of the official visit to Thailand by the President of Germany during 24 – 25 January 2024.
• The DPM/FM to co-chair the 10^th Thailand – India JC in New Delhi during
  26 – 28 February
  • The DPM/FM will visit India to co-chair the 10^th Meeting of the Thailand – India Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JC) with H.E. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, on 27 February 2024.
  • This meeting aims to strengthen bilateral relations between Thailand and India, including through the promoting high-level exchange of visits, pursuing proactive economic diplomacy, and promoting connectivity and people-to-people interactions. It will also serve as an important platform to exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.

• The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs’s visit to Kazakhstan during 21 – 25 February
  • The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs has led 13 Thai businesspersons from nine companies to Kazakhstan to survey trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.
  • Kazakhstan is one of the most important countries at the Heart of Central Asia, endowed with minerals and reserve oil, and has a vast production of minerals. In terms of tourism, the number of tourists from Kazakhstan to Thailand increased to more than 172,282 in 2023. The Cabinet recently extended the 30-day visa waiver for Kazakhstani passport holders to enter Thailand for another six months from 1 March – 31 August 2024.
  • During the abovementioned trip, The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs is scheduled to meet with key figures to discuss trade, investment, industries, Thailand-EAEU FTA, agriculture, food security and technology, tourism, sports, the local economy, as well as to seek ways to further cooperate in various sectors of mutual interest. He will also give remarks at “Amazing Thailand: A Glimpse of the Land of Smiles.”

3. The 9^th Thailand – U.S. Strategic Dialogue, the 2^nd Thailand – U.S. Strategic and Defense Dialogue, and the 8^th Thailand – U.S. Defense Strategic Talks, during 28 – 29 February

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense will co-host the following meetings with U.S. counterparts:
  • The 2^nd Thailand – U.S. Strategic and Defense Dialogue (2+2), with the Thai co-chairs comprising the Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Secretary of Defense and the U.S. co-chairs comprising The Honorable Daniel K. Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and the Honorable Jedidiah P. Royal, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs.
  • The 9^th Thailand – U.S. Strategic Dialogue between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the U.S. Department of State.
  • The 8^th Thailand – U.S. Defense Strategic Talks between the Ministry of Defense of Thailand and U.S. Department of Defense.
• The Meetings are important mechanisms and platforms to strengthen the strategic partnership between Thailand and the U.S., especially under the Thailand-United States Communiqué on Strategic Alliance and Partnership, and after the visit by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to Washington, D.C. on 12 February 2024. The meetings will be held back to back, as they were the last time they were convened on 10 May 2023.
• The U.S. is a long-standing partner as Thailand is the first country in Asia to sign a treaty with the U.S. in 1833. Both countries celebrated their 190th year of diplomatic relations in 2023.

4. The official launch of the temporary Passport Office in Sa Kaeo Province

• The Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will open a new temporary Passport Office in Sa Kaeo Province on 27 February 2024 at the Indo-China Trade Center (Aranyaprathet), Terminal Building, 2nd Floor. The office will operate on weekdays between 09:00 – 17:00 hrs. (except on public holidays).
• The new temporary Passport Office will support a strong demand for consular services in the province, benefiting locals in Sa Kaeo Province, which is a key point of entry to/exit from Cambodia.
• The Department of Consular Affairs currently has a total of 25 temporary Passport Offices across the country, 5 of which are in Bangkok and 20 in other provinces. The new office in Sa Kaeo provice will open on the 26^th.

Other matters:

• Warnings against scammers.
• There have been a number of scam cases abroad where Thai communities reside, particularly in the U.S., where scammers impersonate officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Consular officers. Therefore, the Ministry would like to alert the public to these cases and reiterate that officials and contract employees at Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates-General do not make phone calls to individuals to ask for personal data or money transfers.
• The Department of Consular Affairs has discussed the issue with the relevant security and digital agencies in Thailand to further investigate the matter.
• An example of an elaborate scam case occurred recently when a Thai national who had filled out their personal details on a job-search application was contacted by a foreigner claiming to be human resource personnel of a large Indonesian oil company offering a position and asked for a transfer fee of 2,200 USD in order to process/issue a background check certificate. The Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta was contacted and helped to detect the case as a scam. The Ministry urges Thai nationals to be cautious when financial transfers are sought and encourages Thai nationals to contact the Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates-General when in doubt or to verify any suspicious information.

• Management of the high demand of visa applications by Myanmar nationals
• Following reports of Myanmar nationals queueing up at the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon to apply for a visa to enter Thailand in large numbers, the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon has addressed the issue and has now implemented an online appointment system to manage up to 800 applications per day.
• Myanmar nationals can travel to Thailand and stay up to 14 days without a visa.
  
  
• Update on the rescue of eight Thai hostages in Israel-Gaza
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to coordinate closely with the relevant authorities/countries to call for the release of the hostages.
• Those who are unable to contact their relatives working in Israel continue to be encouraged to contact the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv for assistance.