PM Modi to visit Thailand; meet PM Shinawatra, attend BIMSTEC Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive here on Thursday on a two-day visit, during which he will hold talks with his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra and attend the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. Modi will be given a grand welcome by the Indian community in Thailand and is scheduled to meet Shinawatra at the Government House, where he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome.

On Thursday evening, the Prime Minister will join the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) leaders from Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan to oversee the signing of the Agreement on Maritime Cooperation.

The BIMSTEC summit will bring Modi face to face with Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, among others.

It was not immediately clear whether Myanmar military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing was attending the Summit in person. Myanmar is grappling with the aftermath of the massive earthquake that devastated the second-largest city, Mandalay, and other parts of the country last week.

This would be the first physical meeting of the BIMSTEC leaders since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2018. The last summit was held in Colombo in March 2022 in virtual format.

Modi will also call on Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, and Queen Suthida on Friday.

Prime Minister Modi and his Thai counterpart Shinawatra are scheduled to visit Wat Pho, one of the top six temples in Thailand that is famous for its massive reclining Buddha statue.

Besides the gigantic reclining Buddha, the temple is well known for numerous Buddha images all around it. It was the first centre in Thailand for public education, offering science, religion and literature courses.

The Prime Minister will attend the BIMSTEC Summit on Friday morning, where the regional grouping is expected to adopt the Bangkok Vision 2030.