Thailand, Philippines agree on strengthening people-to-people relations

BANGKOK, August 6 (TNA) - Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia paid a courtesy call on Thai Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at Bangkok's Government House on Monday, during which they discussed plans on developing and strengthening people-to-people relations of the two countries, especially through tourism. The Thai premier and the Philippine ambassador also expressed their delight over steady cooperation and relations between Thailand and the Philippines, which are long-time partners and the founders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). On the occasion, Premier Yingluck reiterated with the Philippines' top envoy on Thailand’s intention to cooperate closely with the Philippines, saying she believes that the female Philippine ambassador’s knowledge, abilities and experiences should further help develop sound relations between two nations. As Bangkok and Manila have agreed on strengthening the people-to-people relations through tourism, official statistics show that the number of Philippine tourist arrivals in Thailand has increased by 80 per cent over the past four months. The Philippine top envoy suggested that tourism between the two countries will be further enhanced if there is more air transport connectivity in the future, for example the Manila-Phuket and Manila-Chiang Mai routes. The Thai premier and the Philippine ambassador also agreed that the Thai and the Philippine private sectors expand their investment into each other country. The Thai prime minister, meanwhile, expressed her satisfaction with the success of the 5th Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Consultations (JCBC) held in Manila in June 2013, noting that officials concerned of both countries will be then assigned to step up and proceed in accordance with the meeting's results. (TNA)