Ambassador Rathakit Manathat during an interview with China Pictorial. by Yang Jia

Festival celebration.

Royal photos. by Yang Jia

Scenes of Thailand.

Travelling in Thailand offers an amazing experience.

Early spring in Beijing is typically a little chilly. However, while I sat in the Royal Thai Embassy in China, waiting to interview Ambassador Rathakit Manathat on a February afternoon, the day was sunny and mild.

In November 2008, two Bangkok airports were forced to shut down due to anti-government protests. Tourism, a pillar industry for Thailand, was hit hard by the tumultuous event. Due to the unstable political situation, the 14th Summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was postponed until February 2009 from last December, and the host city was changed to the small seaside city Hua Hin. Thus China Pictorial’s interview with the ambassador will focus on Thailand’s current political situation and its return to normalcy, including the recovery of the tourism industry and hosting of the ASEAN Summit.

For many Chinese people, Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket Island are more than just familiar names. Since China’s reform and opening up, Thailand has remained a popular destination for many Chinese tourists when traveling abroad for the first time. It’s even better for those who know some English, as they are able to handle self-guided tours of the amazing country. A recent survey conducted by a popular Chinese web portal found that despite the tumultuous events in Thailand last year, Phuket Island and Chiang Mai still lead as favorite destinations for Chinese tourists heading to Southeast Asia. “You are presented with unbelievably ample choices in Thailand. Sunshine lovers can go south where gorgeous islands are in abundance. Those who love ancient civilization can go north to visit Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, two of the most time-honored Thai cities. If you don’t want to be on the move, just stay in Bangkok. Touring the city and shopping is enough for a fabulous holiday,” said a netizen named Sunshine.

“First, I want to apologize to those tourists stranded at Thai airports last year, including the many Chinese. But I can now assure you all that, with full confidence, the Thai government and our new premier vows not to let an airport closing happen again. And the Thai people will not allow this to happen for a second time,” the ambassador stated in advance of the interview.

By the beginning of 2009, the Thai tourism market began its earnest recovery. Referencing the measures taken by the Thai government to benefit the market, the ambassador had much to say. “We will make our market more diverse.”

“Usually, the tourism market falls into several categories, with most of the top rated as A-class. The Thai government has attached great importance to the high-end market and introduced quite a few tourism package programs, such as the golf and honeymoon programs. We have many respected brands and amazing places in Thailand, some of which are relatively unknown and less visited by Chinese tourists. We hope that Chinese tourists will enjoy shopping and visiting Thailand,” said Ambassador Manathat. He expresses his wishes to see more Chinese tourists come back to his country. “They will find Thailand to be the same charming, colorful, and safe place as before.”

The Thai government has launched several tourism promotion programs. In June this year, there is the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2009, Thailand’s annual three-month shopping extravaganza. The grand sale offers world-class shopping, a diverse selection of quality products and services, special discounts of 30-70 percent and promotional offers extended by leading department stores, shopping complexes, duty free shops, airlines, hotels, spas, golf courses, online travel agencies, jewelry shops and participating retail outlets along designated “shopping streets” in Bangkok, as well as at special events held in the popular tourist destinations of Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Hat Yai.

Also, there is the upcoming Thai New Year. The Thai New Year, Songkran, is celebrated every year from April 13 to April 15. The word Songkran derives from the Sanskrit meaning the beginning of a new Solar Year. The festival falls in the hottest time of the year, at the end of the dry season. Thus, the most evident way Songkran is celebrated is by the throwing of water.

Everyone gets soaking wet and since it is the hottest season of the year, the custom is quite refreshing. Songkran is a Public Spring Cleaning Day, supported by the religious belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away, or it will bring bad luck to the owner.

Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran may also visit a Buddhist monastery to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines, as well as Buddha images at monasteries, by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city’s important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually “bathing” the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In Northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags. “This year’s Songkran is coming. It is worth visiting Thailand at this time,” says the ambassador.

Continuing efforts to expedite the revival of the Thai travel and tourism industry, during our interview the ambassador reveals that the Thai government has agreed to exempt the fee for Chinese tourist visa applications for a three month period, effective March 5, 2009, to June 4, 2009. Spearheading efforts to revive the tourism industry and boost the country’s competitive position to offset the impact of the global financial crisis, the Thai government has stipulated many policies. “Our embassy has made a proposal to the government, suggesting that Chinese-language signs be added at renowned Thai scenic spots, especially those places Chinese tourists particularly enjoy.”

Referencing the concrete measures taken by the Thai government to address the global financial crisis, the ambassador has much to say. “We have stipulated both short-term and long-term policies. In terms of short-term policies, we, like many countries, including China, have adopted more or less the same measures. We have made huge investments in infrastructure construction, transit systems, and water conservancy projects. We have promulgated policies benefitting the daily lives of our people, stimulating consumption and providing subsidies for low-income citizens. Our government is also putting into effect a policy to exempt six months of electricity and water fees for our people. And we are adjusting regulations on bank interest rates.”

In terms of long-term policies, the Thai government focuses on improving domestic legal and regulatory framework. More preferential laws and regulations are set up to improve Thailand’s investment environment, so as to attract more foreign direct investments. “We believe these policies will favor Thailand’s economy and spur economic growth. We welcome more investors, especially Asia’s investors, including China’s investors, coming to Thailand. ”

Referencing the 34 years since China and Thailand established formal diplomatic relations in 1975, Mr. Manathat says that China is a true friend of his country. Whenever Thailand encountered difficulties, China always stood up and lent a hand.

“Thirty-four years is just the time the two countries formally established diplomatic relations. Our actual friendship is of long standing. Thirty-four years witnessed the great improvement and achievement between the cooperation of China and Thailand.” The ambassador describes the friendship between Thailand and China as “like relatives.” He says in international political arena, China is a responsible great power. Thailand is also a regional leading country. Recent years have witnessed Thailand’s rapid economic development. Several years ago, China and Thailand established a goal to make multilateral trade volume reaching 50 billion US dollars. “I am confident that by the target year 2010, we will achieve that goal.”

“There is one thing very special about the Sino-Thai relationship. The two peoples share the same feelings on many things. When the massive Wenchuan earthquake struck, many international friends offered help and made donations. It is a common diplomatic practice. However, for me, it is a very special experience. Because Thai people felt like the earthquake happened on our land, to our own people. Many identified with the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan Province. For the first time since I became a diplomat, I sensed this kind of compassion from my people for the people of another country. Ordinary Thai citizens and government officials, people from all walks of life, show deep sympathy and compassion. ”

“We believe the Chinese people and the Chinese government felt the same when Thailand was in trouble, such as when we were struck by the terrible tsunami or when we had a huge fire at the beginning of this year. Our friendship makes our relationships very special, a permanent bilateral relation. If you ask me my opinion of Sino-Thai relations, I would say China is our true friend. Our friendship is not only good for regional peace and development, but also that of the world. In terms of social and economic matters, cooperation between our countries sets a good example for the international bilateral relationship development,” said the ambassador.