British Foreign Office Minister To Attend Strategic Dialogue Meeting In Bangkok

[webfact]

THAI-UK RELATIONS
British foreign office minister to attend Strategic Dialogue meeting next week


File photo : Swire

BANGKOK: -- The UK's Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire will be in Bangkok on Sunday for a three-day official visit during which he will participate in the Thai-UK Strategic Dialogue.

The dialogue, which was set up by the Thai and British prime ministers last November, is a mechanism for high-level bilateral discussion to follow up and set the directions of mutual cooperation in various dimensions in the future.

This is Swire's first visit to Thailand. "Thailand is a natural partner for the UK. We have great relations that go back more than 400 years. Thailand has vast potential to advance prosperity in the Southeast Asia region. The UK has plenty more to offer, as we are the benchmark for excellence in the sectors most in demand for fast growing economies: financial services, education, large scale infrastructure and more," he said in a statement issued by British Embassy in Bangkok.

During the visit, he will meet Jullapong Nonsrichai, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the inaugural session of the Thailand-UK Strategic Dialogue.

Swire will also meet Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittirat Na Ranong, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and Opposition Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. The Minister will also hold meetings with representatives of leading British companies in Thailand to discuss further trade and investment opportunities. He will also look at issues affecting British tourists and residents in Thailand including road safety.


-- The Nation 2013-05-17

[GentlemanJim]

Good to see. Only positive things can come from it.

[RubbaJohnny]

NewSWIRE

[allalong]

"look at issues affecting british tourists and residents":lol:

Believe me"looking" will be brief and worthless.Love to hear how the minister might suggest to the thais how to improve their road safety

Sent from my GT-S7500L using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited May 17, 2013 by allalong

[BrianCR]

Do you think that they will discuss the percentage involved in any deal or first find out what the deal is? Tally-Ho old chap!

[chainarong]

Well just after I gave them a serve on the Iran courtship, they swing the other way , this crowd are a loose cannon ,waiting for the fuse lighter, at least we can assume no bribes or corruption will come out of this meeting

[BrianCR]

He looks a real div, must be an Oxford graduate, don't bend over to pick up the soap!

Ps. Does Apisit fit in here somewhere?

Edited May 17, 2013 by BrianCR

[Publicus]

He looks a real div, must be an Oxford graduate, don't bend over to pick up the soap!

Ps. Does Apisit fit in here somewhere?

Oxford towel boy. Also official soap picker upper.

[jalansanitwong]

Maybe this desk jockey should have met with Austrian company STEYR before coming out to the land of astonishingly deceptive smiles.

Its been over 10 years since the fire truck scandal. Dont worry farangs,we'll give you 500,000 frozen chickens from CP as payment mai pen rai

we no have money only poor thai people.

"If you send some executives out here we cannot guarantee their safety" just ask Michael Wansley.

Edited May 18, 2013 by jalansanitwong

[mikebell]

How do we get unfreezing our pensions on the agenda?

Having a legation office back in Pattaya?

Loosening the paperwork for a repeat tourist visa for Brits' Thai wives?

[simple1]

He looks a real div, must be an Oxford graduate, don't bend over to pick up the soap!

Ps. Does Apisit fit in here somewhere?

Oxford towel boy. Also official soap picker upper.

Went to Eaton, then to University of St. Andrews. Then went to Sandhurst; served as an Officer in the Grenadier Guards. Eventually became a Director of the National Gallery and a Director of Sotheby's prior to entering politics. Perhaps a greater conribution to the UK than you and others who have posted sneering comments?

[MaxLee]

Another lip service to delude the International public about Thailand's "UNwillingness to listen to foreign advice...

Hello Khun Farang, yez, yez,.... see you, have a good trip home bye, bye

And then it's corruption business as usuall

[allalong]

The thais need to listen to and learn from outsiders but its not in their DNA

Sent from my GT-S7500L using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited May 18, 2013 by allalong

[Postmaster]

Eton. Wow! totally equipped for life

[Ian Curtis]

Good to see. Only positive things can come from it.

Like setting up a reciprocal agreement with Thailand so that we British ex-pats will get our state pension increases

[Neilly]

Good to see. Only positive things can come from it.

Like setting up a reciprocal agreement with Thailand so that we British ex-pats will get our state pension increases

I wouldn't hold your breath

[johna]

Look at the list of things the Brits have on offer,

"financial services, education, large scale infrastructure and more"

thieving Banks, education that wont get you a job, well not outside politics, and the last large scale infrastructure project the Brits undertook was selling off public utilities.

[jayboy]

Eton. Wow! totally equipped for life

Never quite understand this kind of comment on Eton.The problem (if it can be thus described) is that Eton equips its pupils to be too successful for life - thus showing up the inadequacies of the state system.

Eton has a strong claim to be the best school in the world.Naturally the army of inadequates bleating about frozen pensions attribute this all to inherited wealth and the old boy network.Perhaps this was formerly partly true but still a school which produces the current Prime Minister,the heir to the throne and the Archbishop of Canterbury is doing something right.

Take a field which is dependent purely on talent and has nothing to do with privilege or influence - acting.Eton has produced Dominic West, Damien Lewis, Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne.

Instead of rubbishing Eton, energy would be better expended improving the state system, getting rid of substandard teachers and giving our children the same chances as boys from Eton.

[Bagwan]

Good to see. Only positive things can come from it.

Given the current state of the UK I harbour considerable doubts.

[Bagwan]

Well just after I gave them a serve on the Iran courtship, they swing the other way , this crowd are a loose cannon ,waiting for the fuse lighter, at least we can assume no bribes or corruption will come out of this meeting

I refer you to the BAE scandal. Corruption is alive and well in the UK, all in the best possible taste of course.

[Mudcrab]

Eton. Wow! totally equipped for life

Never quite understand this kind of comment on Eton.The problem (if it can be thus described) is that Eton equips its pupils to be too successful for life - thus showing up the inadequacies of the state system.

Eton has a strong claim to be the best school in the world.Naturally the army of inadequates bleating about frozen pensions attribute this all to inherited wealth and the old boy network.Perhaps this was formerly partly true but still a school which produces the current Prime Minister,the heir to the throne and the Archbishop of Canterbury is doing something right.

Take a field which is dependent purely on talent and has nothing to do with privilege or influence - acting.Eton has produced Dominic West, Damien Lewis, Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne.

Instead of rubbishing Eton, energy would be better expended improving the state system, getting rid of substandard teachers and giving our children the same chances as boys from Eton.

You pays your money and takes your choices. Unfortunately many people simply cannot afford to send their children to schools such as Eton. And the establishment want to keep it that way. Those who bleat about the class system in Thailand simply have no idea of what the reality in the UK is. Sure they got rid of grammar schools and introduced comprehensive schools (or whatever they call them these days).....but they kept the same the same system in place essentially.....the ruling class go to one set of schools and the great unwashed go to the others.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Mudcrab

[simple1]

Eton. Wow! totally equipped for life

Never quite understand this kind of comment on Eton.The problem (if it can be thus described) is that Eton equips its pupils to be too successful for life - thus showing up the inadequacies of the state system.

Eton has a strong claim to be the best school in the world.Naturally the army of inadequates bleating about frozen pensions attribute this all to inherited wealth and the old boy network.Perhaps this was formerly partly true but still a school which produces the current Prime Minister,the heir to the throne and the Archbishop of Canterbury is doing something right.

Take a field which is dependent purely on talent and has nothing to do with privilege or influence - acting.Eton has produced Dominic West, Damien Lewis, Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne.

Instead of rubbishing Eton, energy would be better expended improving the state system, getting rid of substandard teachers and giving our children the same chances as boys from Eton.

You pays your money and takes your choices. Unfortunately many people simply cannot afford to send their children to schools such as Eton. And the establishment want to keep it that way. Those who bleat about the class system in Thailand simply have no idea of what the reality in the UK is. Sure they got rid of grammar schools and introduced comprehensive schools (or whatever they call them these days).....but they kept the same the same system in place essentially.....the ruling class go to one set of schools and the great unwashed go to the others.

Unless you're smart & committed enough to apply for a scholarship, currently about 130 a year granted

[jayboy]

Eton. Wow! totally equipped for life

Never quite understand this kind of comment on Eton.The problem (if it can be thus described) is that Eton equips its pupils to be too successful for life - thus showing up the inadequacies of the state system.

Eton has a strong claim to be the best school in the world.Naturally the army of inadequates bleating about frozen pensions attribute this all to inherited wealth and the old boy network.Perhaps this was formerly partly true but still a school which produces the current Prime Minister,the heir to the throne and the Archbishop of Canterbury is doing something right.

Take a field which is dependent purely on talent and has nothing to do with privilege or influence - acting.Eton has produced Dominic West, Damien Lewis, Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne.

Instead of rubbishing Eton, energy would be better expended improving the state system, getting rid of substandard teachers and giving our children the same chances as boys from Eton.

You pays your money and takes your choices. Unfortunately many people simply cannot afford to send their children to schools such as Eton. And the establishment want to keep it that way. Those who bleat about the class system in Thailand simply have no idea of what the reality in the UK is. Sure they got rid of grammar schools and introduced comprehensive schools (or whatever they call them these days).....but they kept the same the same system in place essentially.....the ruling class go to one set of schools and the great unwashed go to the others.

An education provided by Eton (and similar top schools) is certainly out of reach for most of us.It is also - given fees exceeding Pns 30,000 pa - out of reach for traditional upper middle class professions that once may have aspired to it.I do not agree that the establishment wants to keep it that way.Increasingly schools like Eton are looking to broaden their intake to include many unprivileged boys, ironically in line with the wishes of their founders many centuries ago.As Simple1 correctly points out there are a large number of scholarships which are means tested - ie reserved for boys whose families cannot afford the fees.