THAI Smile to fly direct from BKK to Ahmedabad starting April 1

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and over 3000 participants in the closing ceremony of 2013 Vibrant Gujarat Summit were clearly delighted when Thai Ambassador Pisan Manawapat took the stage to announce the first direct flight to connect Ahmedabad with Bangkok starting from 1 April this year.

In his remarks, the Thai Ambassador to India thanked Chief Minister Modi for the opportunity of Thailand to participate for the first time in his Vibrant Gujarat Summit and said the experience was more than satisfactory.  Like his previous 3 visits to the Mahatma Gandhi's  state in the past 7 months, he always feels after each visit, a sense that something concrete is coming up, mutually satisfactory outcomes are awaiting with confidence that his Embassy work will enjoy the full attention and support of the Government of Gujarat.

Ambassador Pisan recalled the discussion he had with the Chief Minister the day before during which Mr Modi expressed his desire of his Government to engage with the International community on enhancing social policy to on youth, education and health care. He also mentioned the priority he gave to environment and development of a long coast line of his state, one-third of India.

The Thai ambassador told the packed audience in the huge and modern Mahatma Mandir convention hall that in his business delegation, there was a top executive of a Thai electronic company which is world's number one in green energy and power management products (Delta Electronics) who during this trip to Gujarat had discovered that Gujarat is his company's top customer among all Indian states. He already had a fruitful working dinner the night before with officials of iNDEXTb of the Government of Gujarat and as a result, would seriously consider setting up an electronic plant in Gujarat.

Ambassador Pisan said his Embassy will follow up with the Government of Gujarat on this as well as on Chief Minister Modi's wish on coastline resource development as there are several Thai seafood companies which have strong expertise and global market connection.

Then he said how happy he was to be able to respond to the very first suggestion of Chief Minister Modi to him during their first meeting last May.

By  giving credit to the Chief Minister's personal commitment and the full support by his officials, Ambassador Pisan announced that from 1 April this year, Thai airways International, through its subsidiary, THAI Smile, will begin direct flight from Ahmedabad to Bangkok adding Ahmedabad as the 9th Indian city which Thai Airwaysoperate in India.

To the big round of applause and cheers from the audience, the smiling ambassador then said wise Gujaratis will no longer have to have the burden of changing plane in either Mumbai or New Delhi and he would be ready to speak for Gujarat tourism whenever the Government decides to organize a promotion event in Thailand.

Later, the Chief Minister gave his 50 minute talk before closing and touched on the importance of developing Buddhist circuit in his state so as to attract Buddhist visitors from Thailand, Japan, Sri Lanka etc.

All in al, it was another most fruitful visit of Team Thailand from Delhi and Mumbai to Gujarat, one of the leading and pro business states of India.