Bangkok: The second edition of the North East Festival began here Friday to mark India’s 75 years of Independence and diplomatic relationship with Thailand.
The meet, organised at the Centara Grand Hotel here, began with a presentation by the festival’s chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta. Moderated by Meghalaya’s Tourism Director Cyril Diengdoh, it also saw presentations on Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland.
In her welcome address, Ambassador of India to Thailand Suchitra Durai termed this as a pathbreaking initiative to promote Indo-Thai relationship.
Union Minister R K Ranjan, Assam minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma, Nagaland minister Robert Romawia Royte and top officials of tourism agencies of Thailand spoke about shared efforts to promote tourism between both the regions.
The speakers focused on the historical relationship between India’s Northeast and Thailand. More than 50 tour operators and officials from the Northeast interacted with Thai tour operators.
RK Ranjan said this festival will boost the bilateral trade and tourism between the two countries.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio termed the festival as a “historic initiative which will change the entire dynamics of India’s Act East Policy”. He said by educating on the similarities of the people of northeast region and Thailand and other southeast Asian countries, it can help unify and help form close economic collaboration between the region and Southeast Asian countries.
He further said the festival will give a further thrust to the Act East Policy of government of India and Act West policy of Thailand and other southeast Asian countries.
The main festival will begin Saturday and is likely to be attended among others by Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Jurin Laksanawisit.
Song, dance and fashion events, exhibition of MSME products, state specific exhibitions, Northeastern cuisines, collaborative art show, and business-to-business meets are on the agenda. With agency inputs
