The Bhutanese Leading the way.
For an increasing number of Bhutanese, Thailand is like a winter home, welcoming with its warm climate, kind people, great food, vibrant tourism, abundant shopping and renowned hospitality.
There is also an increasing number of Bhutanese families choosing Thailand for childbirth, highlighting Thailand’s role as a hub for medical tourism.
Many Bhutanese students also graduate each year from renowned Thai universities with degrees in fields such as medicine, engineering, business, and the humanities, contributing significantly to Bhutan’s human resource development and further strengthening the educational and cultural ties between the two nations.
In Bhutan, Thai cuisine has its own growing fan base and a lot of popular grocery items and snacks are from Thailand.
In recent years, many Thai tourists are discovering Bhutan and when one travels to Thailand, there is a lot of goodwill towards ‘King Jigme,’ and Bhutanese in general.
Thailand is also an important source and entry point of foreign tourists, to Bhutan, especially through Bangkok.
The country is an important trading partner for Bhutan and both countries have signed a Free Trade Agreement which will be ratified and implemented soon. Both countries have also signed MoUs on cooperation in tourism and also healthcare, agriculture and technology cooperation.
In recent times, Thailand assumes special importance for Bhutan from the point of view of the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) which already has a Thai Consultancy company on the team.
Thailand is the world’s 29th largest economy and is the second largest economy in the ASEAN region after Indonesia. It is an economic power in its own right.
Bhutan would welcome Thai investment and involvement in the GMC, and at the same time, the larger strategy and location of GMC can also offer important opportunities for Thailand.
However, while commerce and people to people ties are important in the Bhutan-Thailand relationship, these would not have the same depth and future potential without the important historical, spiritual and cultural similarities that bind the two nations together.
Both the countries have a Constitutional Monarchy with the Monarchs of both countries having friendly ties and mutual respect.
Both Bhutan and Thailand are two of the very few countries in the world not to be colonized by foreign powers. In the case of both the countries, it happened due to the genius and leadership of the Monarchs of both countries at crucial periods.
In addition to ensuring the sovereignty and security of their nations, the Monarchs in both countries also ensured social reform freeing up serfs (in the case of Bhutan) and slaves (in the case of Thailand) and ensuring a more equitable society.
Identically it was the Monarchy in both countries that brought about modernization, modern education, healthcare and modern development vastly improving the lives of their people.
Again, in both countries, the Monarch is a symbol of unity and stability that transcends any divisions.
Both countries also share a deep Buddhist heritage and Buddhism is deeply woven into our respective cultures and traditions.
In Bhutan, The King has an important role of granting ‘Kidu’ which is basically uplifting the economically and socially disadvantaged with grants of land and other resources. This has played an important role in poverty alleviation, especially in rural areas.
In Thailand, it is the King who has played an important role in uplifting many poor and unfortunate people, especially in rural areas with an array of agricultural, welfare and educational programs.
Bhutan and Thailand established diplomatic relations in 1989 and His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua visited Bhutan in 1991 then as the Crown Prince and met with His Majesty The Fourth King.
This may explain the easy familiarity between the two in the TV visuals as both Kings were picking up from where they left off in 1991.
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn must have noted the many changes he sees in the Bhutan of today compared to his visit in the past.
There can be no doubt that the visit of Their Majesties King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana is a great honor for Bhutan as this is the first-ever State Visit by the Thai King and Queen.
Their Majesties could have chosen any other destination, and the red carpet would be rolled out. Their Majesties could have gone to the USA and President Trump would be glad to have such important guests. Their Majesties could have chosen China and President Xi would have also been glad to be honored with the first state visit of an important neighbor.
Their Majesties could have also easily chosen any other ASEAN country, of which Thailand is a member, but Their Majesties went with their hearts and chose Bhutan. At the moment, Bhutan may not have much to offer Thailand materially, but there is a lot of warmth and goodwill between the Royal Families and people of the two nations and also great future prospects.
It is also deeply touching that His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn personally flew in the plane into the Paro International Airport along with Her Majesty Queen Suthida by his side as the co-pilot. It is also a feat in itself as even international pilots need practice to land flights in the Paro International Airport.
Bhutan has given great importance to the Royal Visit and preparations were on for months to ensure a successful visit.
In a departure from Royal Protocol, His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen went to receive Their Majesties at the airport.
The warmth of the people of Bhutan for Their Majesties could be seen in the villagers, urban residents and students lining the streets, and also in the many warm and welcoming comments online.
Their Majesties were then formally received at the Tashichhodzong, where a Guard of Honour was presented by the three armed forces. Their Majesties The Druk Gyalpo and Gyaltsuen held an Audience with Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand.
His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo and Members of the Royal Family joined in welcoming Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand at a special welcome programme held at Tendrelthang, where an additional guard of honour was presented by the DeSuups and Gyalsuups, and a cultural showcase featured traditional Bhutanese and Thai dances.
The event was attended by hundreds of invitees, including dignitaries, students, and Thai nationals living and working in Bhutan, who gathered to witness the historic occasion.
As part of the State Visit, 74 monks from Thailand have travelled to Bhutan and offered prayers together with 74 Bhutanese monks at the Kuenselphodrang. Sacred relics, including a relic personally presented by His Majesty the King of Thailand to His Majesty The King and the people of Bhutan, will be placed on public display as part of this special spiritual offering.
The depth and care of the preparations could be seen in the Tendrelthang when Bhutanese artists normally only used to traditional Bhutanese songs and dances gave some Thai cultural performances which pleasantly surprised our Royal Guests and wowed Bhutanese and Thai audiences online.
The Royal Visit from Thailand could not come at a more important time for Bhutan.
The visit happened at the invitation of His Majesty The King. While the visit holds a lot of value in personal, spiritual, cultural, diplomatic and state ties it also has another important dimension.
Bhutan is undergoing an important and unprecedented transition, especially on the economic front with the GMC project, as we are essentially opening up to the world and want to join the global economic system in a bigger and deeper way.
In many ways, who better than Thailand to learn from, as the country is an economic powerhouse with a strong service as well as a manufacturing base. There is a lot that Bhutan can learn from Thailand on everything from agriculture to tech.
Bhutan recently sent two relief and medical teams to help earthquake victims in Myanmar which was a genuine gesture that garnered a lot of goodwill for Bhutan. The two countries also share old ties which slowed in between due to international developments but there is opportunity in the present and the future. Myanmar would be an important country for the future of GMC too.
Bhutan maybe a small country but it wants to reach out to the region with a common vision for shared regional trade and prosperity. The GMC is mainly rooted in South Asia but it also has wider ambitions in the wider region and what better friends than countries like Thailand and Myanmar with shared Buddhist heritage and similar culture.
This also fits in with India’s look East policy, BIMSTEC and efforts to ensure better connectivity in this eastern region. In fact, Thailand and Myanmar also share a lot of historical, cultural and spiritual ties with India.
In a rapidly changing world where the international order is undergoing massive changes, and where nothing can be taken for granted anymore, it is always important for friendly countries, even with big economies, to explore all its potential partnerships and friendships in its neighborhood.
If one takes a look at the wider regional map, there is a lot of unexplored trade and commerce potential between Bhutan, India’s North Eastern Region, Myanmar and Thailand. The flow of goods, services and investments in this region would help bring stability and prosperity to the whole wider region and also attract greater investments. BIMSTEC could then perhaps truly come to its full potential with the GMC playing an important and positive role.
At the same time, the Royal Visit is so much more than just economic prospects or potential, as it is a reaffirming and rebuilding of trust and friendship between two nations, two Monarchies and two peoples. Once this foundation of trust and goodwill is there then there is so much more that is possible.
