On 29 April 2009, H.E. Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji, Chairman of the Royal Privy Council of Bhutan, together with three members of the Privy Council, paid a courtesy call on Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Privy Councillors were on a familiarization visit to Thailand.
Foreign Minister Kasit welcomed the Privy Councillors to Thailand. Privy Council Chairman Dorji thanked him and said that, in addition to familiarizing themselves with the Kingdom, the Privy Council wished to learn more about the Privy Council of Thailand. The Bhutni Privy Council was only recently established after the country’s first election last March. Foreign Minister Kasit briefed them on the history of the Thai Privy Council and its role advising the King of Thailand for over a century. Both sides praised the excellent relations between the two Kingdoms and their similarities as Buddhist and democratic constitutional monarchies that have never been colonized.
The Privy Council Chairman of Bhutan sought Thailand’s assistance with the “Dharma Project”, a royal initiative by His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, to help preserve religious statues and artifacts in Bhutan, particularly through Thailand’s support on technology and expertise in bronze casting. Foreign Minister Kasit expressed Thailand’s support and said that the relevant Thai authorities would be in touch with Bhutan. Additionally, he said that Thailand is interested in collaborating on herbal medicine, to which Privy Council Chairman Dorji agreed, as Bhutan has indigenous natural herbs while Thailand has production technology.
Thailand and Bhutan celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their diplomatic relations last November. H.E. Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji was the first Ambassador of Bhutan to Thailand, residing in the Kingdom between 1999-2005 and later became Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) before returning to Bhutan as first Chairman of the Royal Privy Council under Bhutan’s democratic constitutional monarchy.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th