Honorable Speaker of Parliament,
Honorable Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Ayubuvan(อา-ยู-บู-วัน) and Vanakkam (วัน-นัก-กัม)
(คำทักทายในภาษาสิงหลและทมิฬ)
It is a great pleasure for me to be here in Sri Lanka, / a beautiful island nation at the opposite end of the Bay of Bengal. Although / we are separated by an ocean, / our two countries share common religious faiths, / and close cultural and political beliefs. /
I am also greatly humbled to address this Parliament. / I feel privileged to speak to the elected representatives of the people of Sri Lanka. / The Sri Lankan people have always shown great courage in protecting their nation / and the values oftheir democracy.
On a personal level, / I am deeply honored to be addressing the same parliament / where the world’s first female Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike (สิ-ริ-,มา-โว บัน-ดา-รา-ไน-เก้), once led the government.
Honorable Members of Parliament,
I am here in Sri Lanka with the intention to build an even closer partnership between our two nations / and to seek Sri Lanka’s support in building bridges of multi-dimensional cooperation throughout Asia
In the religious dimension, / the reference to the Thai word “Lanka Wong” / carries a noble meaning for Thais. / It signifies the establishment of Buddhism from Sri Lanka to Thailand some eight centuries ago.
And260 years ago, / a group of monks from Thailand performed higher ordination for Sri Lankan monks. / This eventually led to the establishment of the Siam MahaNikaya (สยาม มหา นิกาย) here in this country. /
This makes our Buddhist links unique/ and this is the reason why our peoples are so firmly connec
ted.
More importantly, / in these days of rapid changes in the world, / with cut throat economic capitalism, / political turmoil and social disruptions, / we must work together to strengthen Buddhism as a religion and way of life.
/ I would like to ask you all to join this quest, / so thatBuddhism can bea force of tolerance that bring peace, / not only to the individual mind but human community as a whole.
Honorable Members of Parliament,
In the political dimension, / both our countries care deeply about democracy. / Despite challenges that try to destroy our beliefs in democracy, / democracy survived / since it is the people’s will. / Democracy is the best form of government in to protect the rights and liberties of the people and advance society’s interests. /
And democracy is not an internal affair of one country alone./ Democracies around the world must join to preserve and protect the people. / Our two countries, / with our experiences and lessons can contribute greatly to the advancement of democratic forces.
Honorable Members of Parliament,
The world is facing the common threat of climate change and natural disasters. / Our countries shared the fate of the tsunami in 2004. / Thailand had to face one of the worst floods in our nation’s history two years ago.
As climate change threatens human security, / we need to work to protect our people by reducing risks from natural disasters./ I call for a closer collaboration with an action plan of coordinated warning systems and disaster relief operations.
Honorable Members of Parliament,
In the economic dimension, / Asia is home to almost 60 percent of the world’s population / with emerging new centers driving the global economic growth. / Today, / around 3 billion people from Asia and Africa, / live around the Indian Ocean.
Enhanced regional connectivity will strengthen links in the Indian Ocean rim. / This is a strategy being pursued by Thailand and ASEAN. / We are building better transport links between ASEAN and other regions, / including South Asia.
On Thailand’s part, / we are investing 66 billion US dollars in infrastructure development / that will link up with the region. Better connectivity leads to more trade, / investment, / tourism, and better links between the peoples.
One of the key projects is the Dawei deep seaport which we work with Myanmar on the Andaman Sea. / This will link withthe LaemChabang deep seaport in the Gulf of Thailand, / while along the way,a new economic corridor linking the Pacific to the Indian Ocean could become a reality.
Indeed, / Sri Lanka’s development of deep seaports will allow Sri Lanka to benefit from trade with Dawei / and other ports in Southeast Asia.
Thailand is also engaging Asian partners through the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) / to develop this vision. / A “New Silk Route” that would connect all corners of Asia and beyond.
Ultimately, / enhanced connectivity extends to Africa with whom we hope to create a common development agenda. / Thailand has started the Thai-African Initiative / in which Thailand will host a high-level dialogue with Africa in November this year.
So I hope Sri Lanka will join us in this long-term effort to connect Asia and beyond. / This will help promote peace and prosperity in our region / and ensures that it remains engine of the global economy.
Honorable Members of Parliament,
In closing, / I would like to express my appreciation for the warm hospitality extended to me / and the honor of addressing this Parliament.
In light of our rich past / and our exciting pre-sent, / Thailand and Sri Lanka have opened a bright chapter for the future.
This modern partnership, / based on shared values and shared interests, / will bring the best of friends together / for the peace and prosperity of our two nations and our region as a whole.
Istuti (อิสตูตี้) and RombaNandri(รอมบานันดรี)
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