News

Thailand Vice Minister Foresees Strengthened Partnership with India

Published

7 months ago

February 27, 2024

Arsi2021

Thailand Vice Minister Foresees Strengthened Partnership with IndiaThailand Vice Minister Foresees Strengthened Partnership with India

(CTN News) – Thailand’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, has expressed confidence that bilateral ties with India will strengthen and evolve into a strategic partnership, bolstering the two nations’ regional and global partnerships.

Evolution of India-Thailand Relations: From Look East to Act East Policy

During a lecture on “How Can Thailand and India be Strategic Partners?” organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs, the visiting dignitary stated that there had been a lot of foreign policy redirection since the Cold War period when the distance between the two countries grew.

Phuangketkeow stated, “The truth is that there was some gap in our connection due to the Cold War. So the view from Bangkok was not the same as the one from New Delhi. Of course, with the end of the Cold War, much has changed. And I believe we have seen a lot of realignment of relations.”

“The Cold War prompted a significant shift in foreign policy. Also, I believe it has a lot to do with internal changes in India, such as reforms and opening up. And a lot of it is due to developments in my region, specifically East Asia. As a result, India and ASEAN, as well as India and East Asia, have developed stronger ties,” he said.

Phuangketkeow stated that efforts to establish a strategic relationship between Thailand and India, initially discussed 12 years ago, needed to be accelerated.
“And I believe this began in 1991, when your Prime Minister at the time, Prime Minister (Narasimha) Rao, unveiled the Look East Policy.

Following that, we’ve seen India move closer to the region. India became a full conversation participant in 1995. And then, I believe, in 2002, we elevated our conversation relations to the summit level. I need to ask my deputy permanent secretary here, no. 2005.”

India-Thailand relations

He described 2012 as a key year for India-Thailand relations: “And then the year 2012 was significant because India became our strategic partner.” And, if you recall, in 2014, Prime Minister Modi proclaimed the continuation of the Look East, Act East programme. 2002, India became comprehensive, and we established a comprehensive strategic alliance with ASEAN.

So the evolution of the relationship, the advancements, and the broader dynamics of the area have all positively impacted Thailand-India’s partnership.”

Phuangketkeow remarked that India and Thailand would form strategic cooperation due to the profound development of the world system. He also discussed the rise of the Indo-Pacific.

He stated, “Looking ahead, I am confident that our alliance will grow stronger and will not be limited to bilateral relations. It will be a regional relationship, with hopes of expanding to a global partnership in the future.”

“I am convinced that our collaboration will grow and, hopefully, become a strategic alliance because of the expansion of the Indo-Pacific area, which you have mentioned as a significant change in the international system. When I joined the foreign ministry 40 years ago, the name Indo-Pacific did not exist. “We only had South, Southeast, and Northeast Asia,” he explained.

During Thailand’s Prime Minister’s visit to India in January 2012, which coincided with the 65th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, the two countries signed six agreements in areas ranging from defence, security, and trade to combating terrorism and piracy, as well as an agreement on a Free Trade Area (FTA) in goods, services, and investment, FDI, and a legal framework to deal with non-state actors and subversive elements that pose a common problem for both countries. Thus, the process of forming a more comprehensive collaboration began.

Phuangketkeow stated, “And then, as the economies of East Asia began to move, we discussed the East Asian economy. Then the US sought to be a part of East Asia’s expanding economies. We had cooperation spread across both sides of the Pacific Rim, resulting in Asia-Pacific cooperation.

The Indo-Pacific region is already a commonly used word. Indo-Pacific will significantly impact our collaboration today and in the future. But what is the Indo-Pacific? I don’t think it’s a geographical region per se.

I believe it is a geopolitical and geoeconomic construct. What does it reflect? It symbolises the great transformational changes that have occurred throughout the planet.”

India and Thailand are major regional partners connecting South and Southeast Asia. They work closely with the ASEAN, East Asia Summit (EAS), and Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) groups.

The visiting Thai minister highlighted the world’s revolutionary shifts, stating that the balance of power had shifted from the West to the East, and people were even talking about the Asian century.

He claimed that the Indo-Pacific community demonstrates two major developments, namely the emergence of India and China.

“First, the balance of power shifted from the West to the East. And now we’re all talking about the Asian century.

We are in the Asian century, but will we be able to sustain it? That depends on our ability to meet the upcoming difficulties. But the Indo-Pacific community, which is not yet a community but maybe a community with a tiny sea, symbolises, in my opinion, two important developments. First, let us consider China’s rise. Second, the growth of India.”

The Indo-Pacific’s Growing Economic and Strategic Significance

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar praised India’s foreign policy, saying that people talk about India’s rising role and the extraordinary way it has been able to carve out its “special brand of foreign policy,” which he described as “independent and constructive.”

“Talking about India’s ascent is quite fashionable these days. Certainly, especially under your current foreign minister, people talk about India’s expanding role, growing influence, and the remarkable way India has been able to carve out its own brand of foreign policy, a brand that is independent but also constructive, a brand that maintains India’s strategic autonomy in the face of growing geopolitical competition,” he said.

He stated that the Indo-Pacific region is becoming increasingly economically and strategically important. He remarked that ASEAN’s rise will have an impact on India-Thailand relations.

He stated, “I believe the term Indo-Pacific also reflects the connections between the two oceans in terms of the important sea lanes of transport and communication that connect the region.”

As a result, the Indian and Pacific Oceans have combined to form a single strategic space or domain. As a result, freedom of navigation, sea lane security, and maritime security are critical issues for everyone in the Indo-Pacific.

And now we have an Indo-Pacific region that is becoming increasingly important economically and strategically. And this has a significant impact on the direction of our collaboration.”

And I forgot to emphasise that our alliance will be shaped by another significant development: the rise of ASEAN, which consists of ten nations. Our combined economy is currently the world’s fifth largest. Of course, India alone is the world’s fifth-largest economy.

We hope that if we get things right by 2030, we will be the world’s fourth-largest economy. And we also take pride in that, while in Germany a few days ago, I informed my German colleagues that we believe ourselves to be the second most successful regional organisation after the EU,” he said. (ANI)

News

London has Canceled the Hot Air Balloon Festival for the Fifth Consecutive Year.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – The hot air balloon festival that was supposed to take place in London has been postponed for the sixth year in a row due to worries regarding the absence of acceptable weather conditions. It was scheduled to take place in London.

In spite of the fact that the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta was supposed to take place in the nation’s capital on Sunday, it was canceled for the fifth year in a row, as well as for the second time this year after it was postponed from July 7 owing to wind conditions.

This is the second time that it has been cancelled this year.

Second year in a row hot air balloons aren’t on the schedule.

The organizers are hopeful that the hot air balloon event, which was due to begin at five in the morning in Battersea Park, may now take place on the 28th of July instead.

This is because the most recent successful event, which took place in 2019, has given them reason to believe that the event would be successful. Previously, the event was scheduled to start at five in the morning, according to the preparations.

As part of the historic activities that will take place during the Lord Mayor’s Show, fifty hot air balloons will take flight across the downtown area of London. The purpose of these flights is to promote awareness and funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.

There will also be a regatta that will be participating in the activities, which will also be included in them. Beginning in the year 2015, the group has been able to effectively raise more than two hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

It has been decided to hot air balloon postpone the activities that were supposed to take place in the years 2020 and 2021 as a result of the global coronavirus epidemic.

On the other hand, the editions that were scheduled to take place in the years 2022 and 2023 have been canceled as a result of the severe weather that has been occurring.

In light of the fact that wind conditions forced them to cancel the flight that was scheduled to take place on Sunday morning, the organizers have now made the announcement that they are hoping to reschedule it for the following Sunday, which is the next of the several possible days that are allocated each year.

This occurs in light of the fact that the flight was supposed to take place on Sunday morning.

Wind conditions forced them to cancel their hot air balloon flight.

In their separate social media accounts, they explained, “Unfortunately, the predicted change in wind direction for the hot air balloon flight today has not materialized, and we have made the difficult decision to cancel the flight for the safety of every member on board,” they stated.

It is our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you. It is our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you.”

We would want to use this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone who has reached out to us and shown their support, particularly the members of the general public who have communicated with us and attended the trip.

We are moving forward with this, and the next standby date that we are pushing forward with is the next Sunday, which is the 28th of July.

The fact that hot air balloon are going to be floating over a number of well-known locations in London this year has been brought to the attention of the organizers of the event. Some of the most well-known landmarks in London are Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.

It is anticipated that Lord Mayor Michael Mainelli would serve as the leader of the ceremony. He will also be the one to lead the ceremony.

SOURCE: IN

News

A Skydiving Plane in New York Crashed, Killing One Person.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – On Saturday, a plane that was being used for skydiving was involved in an accident that resulted in the death of one individual. The event took place in Niagara County, New York.

The occurrence took place at some point throughout the course of the day. Saturday marked the beginning of the investigation into the tragedy that had taken place earlier than anyone had anticipated.

The authorities in New York began their investigation. It turned out that the catastrophe had occurred earlier than anyone had anticipated on their part.

According to a statement that was released by the Federal Aviation Administration, a single-engine Cessna 208B, which was a plane that was used for skydiving, crashed close to Lake Road in the vicinity of Youngstown, New York, at approximately one o’clock in the afternoon. The plane was used for jumping.

The plane served as a platform for skydiving.

In order to perform vertical jumps, the plane was deployed. According to a press statement that was given by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday and reported by News.

the airplane that was used by the Skydive the Falls skydiving center had released all of the divers and was on its way back to land when it crashed.

The statement was issued by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office. News was the one that distributed the news release. The announcement was made public by CNN, which served as the source.

According to Tammy L. Jones, a representative for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot, who was the only person on board, was reportedly practicing parachute operations before to the accident. Jones stated that the pilot was the only person on board.

The official from the FAA was the one who offered this information here. For more specific information, the Federal Aviation Administration was the source.

However, according to Skydiving Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti, who mentioned this information during a press conference on Saturday, it is still unknown how many divers were on board prior to the disaster.

This information was stated by Filicetti. It was indicated during the press conference that this information was available. Filicetti shared these particulars in his statement, which may be seen here.

It was also indicated in the notice that a brush fire had begun around the crash site later on. This information was included in the warning. Additionally, this was mentioned in the notification that was sent out.

Putting out what Filicetti describes as “a significant fire at that point,” the first squad to arrive on the site was the one responsible for putting out the fire.

The Skydiving fire was to be extinguished by them.

The statement that the sheriff released referred to the plane crash as “an unfortunate incident.” He also noted that local and federal law and Skydiving enforcement officers are collaborating in order to undertake an investigation into the sequence of events that led up to the disaster.

In addition to this, the sheriff mentioned that the investigation will be carried out in conjunction with the federal authorities.

If I am being really honest with you, I am of the opinion that this circumstance is precisely the same as any other emergency-related problem… As soon as you arrived, you decided that you wanted to make an attempt to save people’s lives.

As a result of the specific circumstances that we were dealing with, we were unable to pursue that particular course of action,” Filicetti explained further.

Following an interview with News, Peter Knudson, a spokeswoman for the National Transportation Safety Board, provided the following statement: “It is anticipated that an investigator from the agency will arrive at the crash site on Saturday.”

Knudson, who also confirmed that the investigation will continue, stated that the investigator will continue to Skydiving document the debris of the airplane, which will then be sent to a secure facility for additional examination. Knudson also confirmed that the investigation would continue.

Additionally, Knudson was quoted as saying that the probe will proceed.

According to News, the investigation will Skydiving concentrate on three primary aspects: the pilot, the aircraft, and the environment in which the aircraft is operated throughout the investigation. In this investigation, these are the key aspects that will be looked into.

SOURCE: AP

News

Malaysia’s Coast Guard has found the Oil tanker Involved in the Crash off Singapore’s Coast.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – A large oil tanker that had been involved in a Coast Guard disastrous collision with another vessel two days ago off the coast of Singapore was discovered and intercepted by the coast guard of Malaysia, according to a statement that was made on Sunday.

The disaster occurred off the coast of Singapore with another vessel. There had been an accident that took place two days previously.

The disaster had occurred the day before, with the occurrence taking place off the coast of Singapore. The calamity had taken place just the day before. Two days previously, the accident had also taken place in the vicinity of Singapore’s coast.

Also affected was the neighborhood. Indeed, this was the fact. At the time of the accident, Singapore and Malaysia were both taken aback by the magnitude of the catastrophe that had taken place off the beaches of their respective countries.

According to a Coast Guard report on Saturday.

At least two members of the crew have been injured after a collision involving the tanker Ceres I, which was flying the flag of Sao Tome and Principe, caused a fire and resulted in the vessel leaving the scene of the accident.

A report on the findings of the study has been released. According to the report, the tanker had moved away from the location where the event occurred.

We received the information from the United States Coast Guard, which was the entity that provided it to us. The report states that the tanker was reported to have left the location where the event took place. This information is according to the report.

Additionally, it was believed that the ship had disabled its tracking system, as stated by the Coast Guard. Specifically, this was mentioned in the report. Within the report that was made public, this particular point was brought to the forefront.

It was reported that the Ceres I was found in the waters of Malaysia when it was being hauled by two tugboats, as indicated in a statement that was made by the Coast Guard on Sunday, proclaiming the discovery. The statement was released in order to announce the finding.

The statement provided an explanation as to how the discovery turned out. Following the discovery that was reported, the remark was made as a response to the situation.

It has been reported that the Coast Guard has taken two tugboats and the Ceres I into custody in order to undertake more investigations.

Based on Coast Guard information provided in the article.

This type of detention is being carried out in order to guarantee that the Coast Guard will be able to conduct an appropriate investigation into the sequence of events that led up to the tragedy.

The United States Coast Guard issued a statement on Sunday stating that aerial scans that were carried out by the Coast Guard discovered minute residues of an oil spill near the site of the collision between the Ceres I and the Hafnia Nile, which happened to be flying the flag of Singapore at the time of the collision.

The statement was issued in response to the fact that the Coast Guard had discovered the oil spill. The collision that occurred between the two vessels was the initial cause of the oil spill.

The announcement was made available to the general public by the Coast Guard not long after that. The statement was issued by the Coast Guard, which was the specific organization that issued the statement.

It was noted in the release that “the environment department has been informed and will conduct further monitoring,” which is the same thing that was expressed in the warning. This was done in order to convey a better level of clarity.

SOURCE: USN