Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijavat Isarabhakdi of the Kingdom of Thailand inaugurates the historic Occasion of Celebrations of the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of Sri Lanka at the Siam Society under the Royal Patronage in Bangkok on 04th February, 2023

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijavat Isarabhakdi of the Kingdom of Thailand was the Chief Guest at the historic Occasion of Celebrations of the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of Sri Lanka in Bangkok held at the Siam Society under the Royal Patronage in Bangkok. on 04th February, 2023, organised by the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka. Ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corp, Members of the National Assembly, Representatives of International Organisations, Senior Officials of the Ministry of Foreign, other Ministries and Agencies of the Government, Business Entities, Universities and other agencies in Thailand, and the Sri Lankan community joined the celebrations at the invitation of Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative to UNESCAP Chaminda Colonne and Spouse Stephan Senanayake.

By singing the Royal Anthem of the Kingdom of Thailand, followed by the National Anthem of Sri Lanka in Sinhala and Tamil languages, commenced the event. Two minutes of silence was observed, in remembrance of all, who sacrificed their lives for the nation, thereafter.

By lighting the traditional oil lamp, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, Vijavat Isarabhakdi and the Ambassador of Sri Lanka and Permanent Representative to UNESCAP, C. A. Chaminda I. Colonne, inaugurated the historic Occasion of Celebrations of the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of Sri Lanka in Bangkok.

During his remarks, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Vijavat Isarabhakdi stated that “Thailand and Sri Lanka have a long history of cordial relations, based on our common faith in Theravada Buddhism. With such strong foundations and shared beliefs, our friendship and cooperation have expanded and strengthened in various areas, particularly in trade and people-to-people ties. Over the years, we have continued to share experiences and knowledge, particularly on human resources development, community-based development and sustainable tourism, with the common goal of achieving sustainable development. And as we are rapidly approaching the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025, I strongly believe that there is much more for us to do together, and enormous opportunities for both sides to materialise. Last year, Sri Lanka faced an unprecedented economic hardship, which immensely affected the livelihoods of the Sri Lankan people. I am, however, confident that with the strong determination of the Government and people of Sri Lanka, coupled with the assistance from the international community, your country will be back stronger than ever before. As a faithful friend of Sri Lanka, Thailand was also determined to extend assistance to help alleviate the situation, with the Thai public and private sectors coming together to play a part in supporting Sri Lanka. This indeed signifies the strong ties between our two countries and the sturdy bond between our peoples. In the economic sphere, I was greatly pleased to see that Thailand and Sri Lanka have resumed negotiations on our Free Trade Agreement (FTA). I believe that an FTA would help boost our trade and investment to new heights, which would benefit the two countries, and bring us even closer together as trade partners and friends”.

In her welcoming remarks Ambassador Chaminda Colonne stated that “Today, 04th February 2023, Sri Lanka celebrates the 75th Anniversary of Independence, with pride together with the new reformist programme for the next 25 years, under the theme “Namo Namo Matha – A Step towards a Century”, where the Sri Lanka Government announces and starts to implement its new reformist plan for the next 25 years for the implementation of a stable Government policy, right until the One hundredth (100th) year of Independence in the year of 2048”.

Ambassador Chaminda Colonne highlighted that the Sri Lankan economy is still undergoing a distressed situation and extended sincere appreciation to His Majesty the King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua, Hon. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Government and the friendly People of the Kingdom of Thailand, especially to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for making several thoughtful and generous donations for the people of Sri Lanka.
Ambassador stated Sri Lanka and Thailand have a strong cultural and religious bond because of their shared Buddhist heritage more than 800 years long, and each country has played a vital role of transmitter and receiver, brotherly support at crucial moments in the history of the two nations.
Ambassador invited all Sri Lankans to dedicate themselves towards making Sri Lanka a prosperous nation. The Independence Day messages of President Ranil Wickramasinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry were read by the Ambassador.
The logo of the 75th Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Independence, which will be showcased during upcoming commemorative events throughout the year in Thailand, was declared by presenting to the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijavat Isarabhakdi by Ambassador Chaminda Colonne. Both jointly cut celebratory cake of the 75th Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Independence with the Ambassadors based in Bangkok. Marking the 75th Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Independence, under the theme “Namo Namo Matha – A Step towards a Century”, a video clip, was also released.

The event was concluded with the dinner reception hosted by Ambassador Chaminda Colonne and Spouse Stephan Senanayake.

In the morning of 04th February, 2023, Ambassador Chaminda Colonne hoisted the national flag and religious observances were also conducted by Buddhist, Christian, Islam and Hindu clergies at the Official Residence of the Ambassador.

Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Bangkok
06.02.2023