Piyawat Niyomrerks, executive director of the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei, said "Every year on December 5th the Thai people celebrate the auspicious occasion of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday anniversary, which is regarded as the national day of Thailand. This will be the period the Thai people and Thai communities around the world gather to pay with one heart their respect and gratitude to their beloved monarch. For more than 50 years, the Thai people have been deeply touched by His Majesty's dedication to the development and well-being of his people in all respects.
His Majesty King Adulyadej, the longest reigning monarch, is very much respected and revered. He has shown his care to his subjects by visiting every province and district in Thailand. He has also launched more than 1,000 projects nationwide such as introducing crop substitution for fruits, tobacco and orchids, artificial rainfall, allocating land into multi-purpose land to raise cattle, pottery and become self sufficient.
In Taiwan, the Thailand Trade and Economic Office, headed by Niyomrerks, will be celebrating the auspicious occasion of His Majesty's birthday and the national day of Thailand together with the Thai community and friends at a reception on Dec 5 at the Mandarina Crown Hotel in Tunhwa North Road, Taipei.
For the Thai people, His Majesty is more then just a beacon of hope. He is the symbol of unity, the country's guiding light, whose decades of dedication brought him the trust, respect, love, and deep reverence from his people. The whole nation will organize celebrations to commemorate this auspicious event. In the evening, people will gather with candles in their hands to wish the king well.
Niyomrerks said, Thailand attaches great importance to Taiwan and ties remain strong in many aspects including trade and investment, tourism and cultural. There are close ties in history as many Chinese migrated to Thailand and have successfully established and integrated into the society. Therefore there are no racial conflicts and differences in Thailand.
Thailand is a land of opportunities for Taiwanese investors and as attractive as before. Low production costs, plenty of quality manpower and stable political climates are also Thailand's major advantages. Moreover, another advantage that Thailand offers is the ASEAN free trade -- a market of over 500 million people. Thailand can provide a big market for investors who want to utilize the ASEAN market. Thailand offers a comprehensive infrastructure and has well built ports and roads, telecommunication and internets are intact nationwide.
Thailand would be the very suitable place for the Taiwanese who wish to set up factories in Thailand and export their products to the huge market of 500 million population. A Free Trade Agreement with China goes into effect 2008. Negotiations are underway with India to promote free trade.
Therefore, this is the right period for Taiwanese investors to go to Thailand and take advantage of the available opportunities, said Niyomrerks. With a market of over 3 billion, half of the population in the world, Thailand is indeed an excellent place for investments, said Niyomrerks.
In fact, Taiwan and foreign investors have long realized Thailand's economic potentialities and strengths. Throughout these years, economic relationships between Thailand and Taiwan have been closer, increased and expanded in all sectors.
Taiwan is Thailand's third largest investor after Japan and the US. Bilateral trade volume between the two countries is on the rise. Taiwanese firms have had over US$50 million in projects approved from January to September of this year. Project applications submitted by Taiwanese companies over the same period are valued at over US$120 million, a 27 percent year on year increase. Volume of trade between Thailand and Taiwan amounts to US$4.5 billion annually.
Taiwan is also the biggest market for Thai labors, 120,000 of which are working in Taiwan. They are helping to develop the infrastructure of the Mass Rapid Transit System and are working in manufacturing plants in Taipei and Kaohsiung. Other aspects of cooperation are also strengthened, including training and exchanges in agriculture and development expertise.
In tourism, Thailand welcomed over 700,000 Taiwanese tourists last year. Niyomrerks said, Taiwanese are now addicted and love to travel to Thailand, considering that is near, inexpensive, has attractive golf courses, excellent food and high quality hotel facilities. Thai and Taiwanese have similar traits and a lot of Thais have Chinese blood so therefore there is no racial discrimination in Thailand. Thais and Taiwanese share strong cultural ties as evidenced by eating the same kind of food, listening to the same music, going to karaoke for relaxation. You can always feel at home when you visit Thailand -- safe, convenient and relaxing.
Thailand is also famous for its world class medical centers with experts and specialists physicians educated in the US and Europe. The international school in Thailand provides high quality standard of education whether it be in English, Japanese or even Mandarin. The country is also promoting itself as an excellent location for retirement to enjoy delicious Thai food and relaxation, or swimming in the pristine beaches and oceans.
Thailand has been working hard to encourage Taiwanese and worldwide investors to think of Thailand whether they wish to do business, to invest, to travel, or to seek for quality labors. The country is well recognized by the Taiwanese people as one of their most popular destinations for trade, investment, tourism, and skilled labor. In the years to come, Niyomrerks says he is confident that Thai-Taiwanese relations will remain strong and expanded further. Cultural similarities, Asian values, historical linkages and geographical proximity, which have helped strengthen people-to-people connections between Thailand and Taiwan from the past, will still be the substantial foundation for our future relationship.
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