06-25-2007, 05:09 PM
<b>Efforts on to make '08 Year of Thailand, N-E</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Responding to the suggestion made by Department of North Eastern Region (DONER) Minister Mani Shanker Aiyer to make "2008 the Year of Thailand and Northeast India", Thailand Commerce Minister Krirk Krai Jirapaet has said that the process has begun with 2008 as the deadline. He recalled the century-old India-Thailand ties-which according to Aiyer were destroyed during the colonial rule-and said efforts to reestablish these must be made in earnest so that trade between Thailand and Northeast India can flourish.
Jirapaet was addressing a delegation that included Mani Shanker Aiyer, Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang, senior government officials and businessmen during a discussion on 'Investment Opportunities in NE India Focus: Tourism, Spices, Horti-culture and Food Processing' at the Northeastern Council (NEC) headquarters today. "Enough has not been done to maximise the century-old ties on the ground that we don't know each other well," he said.
He added that he and the Thai delegation had learnt a lot from the three-day-visit to Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya.
The Thai minister, however, felt that three days were not enough. Earlier, Aiyer had committed that he would lead an Indian delegation on a three-week visit to Thailand to forge new economic ties. Jirapaet assured that he would help create a "conducive business atmosphere" so that trade between Northeast India and Thailand gets a boost. Jirapaet also said that the two countries could have trade cooperation in various sectors including tourism. However, he wondered why India, with its rich cultural diversity, attracted only 3 million foreign tourists compared to Thailand's 11 million foreign tourists.
Jirapaet noted that Thailand ranks 18th in the world and 3rd in Asia as far as the flow of foreign tourists is concerned.
He revealed that the tourism industry accounts for 10 per cent of the total revenue of Thailand. He offered the Thai Government's help for India to increase the flow of foreign tourists.
Four Northeast states-Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh-made presentations on potential business areas like tourism, hydro-power, horticulture and food processing.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Responding to the suggestion made by Department of North Eastern Region (DONER) Minister Mani Shanker Aiyer to make "2008 the Year of Thailand and Northeast India", Thailand Commerce Minister Krirk Krai Jirapaet has said that the process has begun with 2008 as the deadline. He recalled the century-old India-Thailand ties-which according to Aiyer were destroyed during the colonial rule-and said efforts to reestablish these must be made in earnest so that trade between Thailand and Northeast India can flourish.
Jirapaet was addressing a delegation that included Mani Shanker Aiyer, Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang, senior government officials and businessmen during a discussion on 'Investment Opportunities in NE India Focus: Tourism, Spices, Horti-culture and Food Processing' at the Northeastern Council (NEC) headquarters today. "Enough has not been done to maximise the century-old ties on the ground that we don't know each other well," he said.
He added that he and the Thai delegation had learnt a lot from the three-day-visit to Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya.
The Thai minister, however, felt that three days were not enough. Earlier, Aiyer had committed that he would lead an Indian delegation on a three-week visit to Thailand to forge new economic ties. Jirapaet assured that he would help create a "conducive business atmosphere" so that trade between Northeast India and Thailand gets a boost. Jirapaet also said that the two countries could have trade cooperation in various sectors including tourism. However, he wondered why India, with its rich cultural diversity, attracted only 3 million foreign tourists compared to Thailand's 11 million foreign tourists.
Jirapaet noted that Thailand ranks 18th in the world and 3rd in Asia as far as the flow of foreign tourists is concerned.
He revealed that the tourism industry accounts for 10 per cent of the total revenue of Thailand. He offered the Thai Government's help for India to increase the flow of foreign tourists.
Four Northeast states-Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh-made presentations on potential business areas like tourism, hydro-power, horticulture and food processing.
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