India and Thailand Relations

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

India and the Southeast Asia region share a long history of cultural and commercial relations. The classical Sanskrit and Pali texts from India carry references of the region using various names such as Kathakosha, Suvarnabhumi (the land of god) or Suvarnadvipa (the golden island).

• As part of his visit to Thailand for the ninth India-Thailand joint commission meeting, External Affairs Minister visited the Devasthan in Bangkok. 
• The Devasthan is the Royal Brahmin Office of the Thai Royal Court and is the official centre of Hinduism in Thailand.
• A French scholar named George Coedes. He coined the term ‘Farther India’ to refer to those states that experienced “the civilising activity of India’. 
• Geographically, it refers to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and the Malay states.
• The Sanskrit, Buddhist, and Jain texts indicate that interactions between the two regions go back more than two thousand years ago, mainly through sea voyages and that trade played an important role.
• In the past two decades, with regular political exchanges, growing trade and investment, India’s ties with Thailand have now evolved into a comprehensive partnership. India’s ‘Act East’ policy has been complemented by Thailand’s ‘Act West’ policy in bringing the two countries closer.

India-Thailand Religious Link

• The traders brought along with them Indian religion, culture, traditions and philosophy along with them to the shores of Southeast Asia.
• They were also accompanied by Brahmin priests, Buddhist monks, scholars and adventurers and all of them played an important role in the transmission of Indian culture to the natives of Southeast Asia.
• Some of the merchants and Brahmin priests married the local girls and were often employed by the local rulers.
• The Mon kings of Dvaravati and the Khmers had patronised Buddhism and built several Buddhist edifices, but at the same time had also adopted Brahmanical customs and practises.
• Apart from the popular Brahmanical deities of Ganesh, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, those that are largely absent in Indian socio-religious landscape, such as Indra are also worshiped in Thailand.

Strategic partnership

• In the past two decades, with regular political exchanges, growing trade and investment, India’s ties with Thailand have now evolved into a comprehensive partnership.
• India’s ‘Act East’ policy has been complemented by Thailand’s ‘Look West’ policy in bringing the two countries closer.
• Both countries are important regional partners linking South and Southeast Asia.
• They cooperate closely in the ASEAN, East Asia Summit (EAS) and BIMSTEC groupings as also Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC), Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
• The India-AESAN Agreement on Trade in Goods was implemented in January 2010 and the India-ASEAN FTA in Services and Investments was signed in September 2014 and came into force in July 2015.

Culture

• Cultural exchanges take place under the framework of a Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) between the two governments.
• An Indian Cultural centre was opened in Bangkok in September 2009.
• Cultural Agreement Programme for 2016-19 was signed during the visit of Thai PM to India in June 2016.
• A number of India Studies Centers are operational in prestigious Thai Universities.
• Regular visits of Indian cultural troupes are organized, in addition to Indian film and food festivals etc.

Indian Diaspora in Thailand:

• It is estimated that there are around 250,000 people of Indian origin in Thailand.
• Many of them have lived here for several generations over the past century. Majority of them hold Thai nationality.
• The Indian community mainly comprises Sikhs, Punjabis, Gorakhpuris, Tamils and Sindhis. Two persons of Indian origin from Thailand have been awarded the Pravasi Samman in 2006 and 2010.
• Thailand is working hard with India to link these two markets through India’s Northeastern region and Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar.
• However, beyond the much awaited India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, modes of connectivity, particularly maritime and air, can also be utilized to their maximum potential

Military and Security relations

• The security relations between the two are constructive and mutually beneficial, covering the land, sea and air dimensions.
• There is also a common challenge in the fight against terrorism, narcotics and transnational organized crime.
• As an emerging power, India has a valuable role to play, together with other regional powers, in ASEAN and the greater Indo-Pacific.
• The ASEAN community of 625 million people is on the rise and is a worthy counterpart for the Indian market of 1.3 billion people.

Defence Cooperation

• Since 2015, India is participating in Ex-Cobra Gold, the largest Asia Pacific Military exercise as ‘Observer Plus’s category.
• Bilateral exercises are held annually between the armed forces of both countries.
• Exercise MAITREE (Army).
• Exercise SIAM BHARAT (Air Force).

The Indo-Thai relation today is not just looked upon from the angle of socio-cultural ties. Since the relation in today’s context has become very comprehensive in its scope. This bilateral engagement has the potential to foster growth not only restricted to the two nations but for the entire region.