Thai Embassy in Dhaka will publish a series of articles throughout this year to commemorate historical milestones in the bilateral ties and to enhance mutual understanding between the peoples.

The initiative has been taken on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Thailand to be celebrated on October 5 this year.

In January and March, two special articles on the 30th anniversary of the visit to Bangladesh of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in 1992 and the 60th anniversary of the visit to Dhaka and Chattogram of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit in 1962 will be the feature articles of the month respectively.

The articles will be published in Thai and Bangladeshi media, said the Thai Embassy in Dhaka.

Starting from January, the Embassy will post “Thailand in 50 Tales” and “Thailand in 50 Tunes” short article series every week.

“Thailand in 50 Tales” will introduce Thai ways of life and cultural heritage that often share similarities with Bengali culture such as Suvarnabhumi and Sonar Bangla, tuktuk and baby taxi, floating market, the importance of rice and fish, Songkran and Bengali New Year and so on.

The series will be posted in Bengali and English on the Embassy’s Facebook every Thursday starting 13 January 2022.

“Thailand in 50 Tunes” will help readers gain deeper understanding about Thailand in a more entertaining way through its music and songs.

The series explores the melodies of different regions in Thailand and the popularity of various musical genres since the 1930s that reflect the evolving social developments from the age of Baby Boomers to the emergence of the Millennials.

“Thailand in 50 Tunes” tries to present Thailand under diverse topics ranging from the expansion of industrialization, close bond of kinship, women’s rights, gender equality and awareness for nature conservation that are expressed through musical lyrics and various styles of music.

Readers will also learn about the difference between lukkrung (city music) and lukthung (country music) as well as how Thai society adapted itself to urbanization and globalization.

The series will be posted in English with YouTube link to the cited songs on the Embassy’s Facebook every Saturday starting 15 January 2022.

Throughout the year, the Embassy will post historical documents from the archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand pertaining to the recognition of Bangladesh by Thailand and the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972.

This “50 Years Throwback Series” will bring back the excitement and sentiments when both sides were in close contact to prepare for the formalization of ties after Thailand recognized Bangladesh in February.

Another series of 50 articles entitled “Thai Pood Dee Bengali Pood Dai (Thais Speak Fluently Bengalis Speak Well)” will be published in Thai for the Thai audience.

It focuses on the interesting similarities and connection between Thai and Bengali languages.

Some vocabularies share the same meaning in both languages but several more have different connotations that should be noted.

For instance, while sikkha and banijya also mean education and commerce in Thai, the word gono in Thai limits its scope to only a certain group of people in contrast to the usage in Bengali which refers to the public.

These articles will be released through the Embassy’s website and Facebook every Friday from 14 January 2022 as well as through online platforms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.