JEDDAH — Soradjak Puranasamriddhi, consul general of Thailand, hosted a reception on the occasion of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great's birthday anniversary, the National Day of the Kingdom of Thailand and Thailand's Father's Day here on Dec. 5. Ambassador Jamal Bakor Bakhoyor, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Makkah region branch), was present at the reception as the chief guest, along with consuls general and diplomats, including well-known Saudi businessmen who joined in the commemoration. Consul General Puranasamriddhi thanked all of the guests most sincerely for attending the celebration. In his address, he pointed out that "the Kingdom of Thailand and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have long enjoyed their histories with monarchs who serve as a unifying force and an important pillar of stability and prosperity of the nation." He said: "For Thailand, His Majesty the late King's 70 years of self- dedication, ranging from thousands of royal development projects that help uplift the living condition of millions of Thai people to the promotion of the universal value of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy that helps raise the awareness of moderation, reasonableness, prudence and self-immunity to all social sectors, still continues to flourish and contribute to the well-being of the Thai people at large." Puranasamriddhi added: "For Saudi Arabia, no one can deny that in recent years, under the leadership and vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, we have witnessed tremendous progress of Saudi Arabia under its Vision 2030 which reaffirms the position of Saudi Arabia not only as a country with diverse, strong and sustainable economy but also the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds." He said: "On the bilateral front, Thailand and Saudi Arabia established diplomatic relations in 1957. Throughout the 62 years of relations, there have been times of excellent cooperation as well as challenges. In recent years, both sides have had high-level meetings on various occasions which lay some excellent groundwork for even stronger relations in the future. I would like to take this auspicious opportunity to reiterate Thailand's readiness to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in all fields of mutual interest particularly in the areas of agriculture, food security, energy, tourism and labor." The Thai Consulate General also hosted a gathering for the Thai community in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia at the consul general's residence on Nov. 29. More than 200 Thai citizens living in Jeddah, Makkah and Taif attended the ceremony to honor and show their respect to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great on this auspicious occasion.
