All religions must be equally supported, says Thai King

BANGKOK, January 16 (TNA) - His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej says that all religions must be equally upheld and supported in Thailand. According to Friday's online press release of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha quoted His Majesty the King's statement during his meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Mohammed Ali Ahmed Omean Al Shamsi at Bangkok's Government House a day earlier. Prime Minister General Prayut also said that the Thai government has handled problems in the violence-plagued Thai far South based on the principles of peace and equality. Besides, the prime minister expressed his appreciation on UAE's support and assistance to the Muslim community in Thailand. The official press release stated that the UAE top envoy himself has launched several projects for Thai Muslims, namely donations for the building of masjids and Islamic schools and financial support for impoverish Muslims to carry out their annual Hajj. On diplomatic relations, both parties were pleased with over 40 years of true friendship between the two countries, while the Thai premier also praised the UAE top envoy's roles in promoting Thailand-UAE relations in various areas, including trade, investment, tourism, agriculture, food and energy. The Thai leader also proposed that UAE become a distribution hub of Thai agricultural products, particularly Thai rice, and invited UAE to invest in special border economic zones to be jointly developed between Thailand and neighbouring countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The UAE ambassador pointed out that the number of UAE tourist arrivals in Thailand has steadily increased over the past five years of his tenure, especially for medical purpose, standing at about 155,000 alone last year, and now is ranked the 2nd among those from the Middle East. Both parties, however, agreed on more exchange of visits in all levels to further strengthen bilateral relations between Thailand and UAE in all aspects. (TNA)