His Excellency Mr. Prapas Limpabandhu and His Excellency Mr. Pracha Guna-Kasem, Advisors to His Excellency Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand,
Honourable Members of the Privy Council,

Excellencies, 
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset allow me to welcome you to our diplomatic reception this evening to mark the momentous event in our history that is the 61st Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia. I would like also to express my highest appreciation for your gracious presence, which is indeed a great honour for us at this festive and commemorative occasion.
At this opportunity, permit me also to convey my profound gratitude, warmest greeting to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Royal Family, the Royal Thai Government and the peoples of Thailand for the sympathy to the cause of the struggle of the Indonesian people for gaining the independence in the past and also their continued support for the strengthening and promoting the bilateral relations since the establishment of our diplomatic relations in the year of 1950.

Permit me also to recall that our bilateral relations have been solid and expanded encompassing wide ranging cooperation, which have become strong building blocks that can be used as the foundation for further enhancement. This could be happened because long before the establishment of the diplomatic relations, there have been contacts between the Buddhists’ Kingdoms in Sumatera and Java islands in Indonesia with Buddhists’ Kingdoms in Thailand and also in the Indo-Chinese region.

In order to revive and to preserve these ancient contacts, I am pleased to inform you that our Minister of Culture and Tourism will convene the meeting of Ministers of Tourism from Indo-Chinese countries in Jogjakarta, Central Java on 27-29 of this month to promote what we call “the Trail of Civilization”.

Secondly, the relations had also been bolstered by the visits of Royal Families to Indonesia, among others, the visits of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn or Rama the Fifth in 1871, 1896, and 1901 and then followed by His Majesty’s son, King Prachadipok or Rama the Seventh in 1929. Later on, it is also well recorded the visit of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit in 1960.

Thirdly, the exchange of visits of leaders of governments and the strenuous efforts by high ranking officials of both countries to develop relations and laying down the foundation like the signing of various agreements, Memorandum of Understandings in diverse areas of cooperation.

Fourthly, in the regional and multilateral contexts, the close interaction between Indonesia and Thailand is also contributing to solidify the relations especially in ASEAN, ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit, IMT-GT, and also in Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) and in the framework of the United Nations (UN). 

Judging form the strong basis that we have now, I firmly believe that bilateral relations between Indonesia and Thailand will flourish in the years to come.

Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before I conclude my remarks, I would like to invite all of you to join me in raising the glass for a toast for the good health and happiness of His Excellency President of The Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudoyono, and to His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadej, after the National Anthem of Indonesia and the Royal Anthem of Thailand.

I begin with the National Anthem of Indonesia:
The orchestra,

………(National Anthem of Indonesia)………..   

To the good health and happiness of the President of Republic of Indonesia.

Now I invite the orchestra to play the Royal Anthem of Thailand:

……….(National Anthem of the Kingdom of Thailand)………..   

To the good health and happiness of the His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadej.

Please enjoy the rest of the evening including the taste of Indonesian food prepared by chef of the Hotel and also the association of wives of Indonesian diplomatic corps in Bangkok.

Thank you.
Sawat dee Khraap

Bangkok, August 18, 2006