By H.E. Ittiporn Boonpracong, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
This year marks the 412nd year of Dutch-Thai relations. I am delighted to share with you some aspects of what we have achieved over the past four centuries:
The relations between the Netherlands and Thailand could be traced back to the beginning of the 17th Century when the first Dutchman made his appearance in Siam. During that time, Siamese capital, the City of Ayutthaya, was one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and centre of global diplomacy and commerce.[1] It attracted many trading partners from China, Persia and Europe. Our civilisation was depicted in an oil painting called the View of Judea (Ayutthaya), the Capital of Siam, on displayed at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.[2]
A Dutch company called VOC (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) came to Thailand to trade around 1603. One year later, diplomatic relations were officially established after Frederick Henry of Orange sent an ambassador to negotiate trading partnership with Siam in 1604. As a consequence, the VOC was granted a royal permission to have its first shipyard in Ayutthaya and later became an influential entity in commercial and socio-political aspects of Siam.
A remaining trace of Dutch community in Ayutthaya is a large shipyard and cargo establishment on the mouth of Chao Phraya River, known amongst Dutch people as the ‘New Amsterdam’. Siamese people called it ‘Baan Vilanda’ or ‘Baan Holanda’, which means Dutch village in Thai language. Baan Vilanda was recently renovated into the Information Centre on the History of Dutch-Thai Relations, following a donation by Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix during Her State visit to Thailand, as the Queen of the Netherlands, for the celebration of 400th anniversary of Dutch-Thai relations in 2004. The Centre has good collections of Dutch-Thai historical items, e.g. the VOC meticulous archives, and is a hidden gem that has yet been known amongst many tourists. You may plan your visit there by visiting http://www.baanhollanda.org/en/.
Solid is a word I would use to describe the Dutch-Thai relations. Even during the most sensitive time when colonialism was perceived as the biggest threat in the region, our Royal Courts still maintained trust and provided helps for each other. During that difficult time for Siam, King Rama V decided to steer the country towards knowledge enlightenment in order to maintain Siam’s partnerships with foreign countries and to avoid being colonised. The attempt was successful and it resulted in a leap of the country’s infrastructure development especially in setting up the very first water management system in Bangkok with the help of water experts from the Dutch side.
In present days, close ties between the Netherlands and Thailand at every level are ever growing. The Thai Royal Archives provide records of communications which show that the two Royal Courts have been exchanging gifts and visits since the 19th Century. And even though Thailand went through a change from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy in 1931, which keeps the Thai Royal Family away from politics, the current Royal Families maintain close ties between each other. The exchanges of royal visits have strengthen the bond between the two countries.
On Government to Government relations, the Netherlands and Thailand have entered into more and more meaningful and tangible cooperation. This year, in particular, as the Netherlands being the President of the European Union and Thailand being the ASEAN-EU coordinator, we are working together even closer for the mutual benefits of not only our countries but also our regions.
In terms of people to people connection, Thailand has been the destination of about 200,000 Dutch tourists on an annual basis and definitely we would be more than happy to welcome more of them. We have just launched multiple-entry tourist visa this year. Furthermore, tourists who are 50 year-old and over may enjoy the benefit of extended stays in Thailand. You may visit http://www.thaiembassy.org/hague/th/services or contact visumthai@gmail.com for more information about eligibilities and required documents.
To sum up, I must say that throughout this time, the Netherlands and Thailand have been walking together on a long and steady road. I am very content to see our relations flourish. It is a proof that we are on the right track. Importantly, I am confident that together we will be able to identify better and innovative ways to develop even more meaningful relations between our countries and peoples in the future.
[1] UNESCO: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/576 accessed 25/2/2016
[2] Rijksmuseum: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-4477 accessed 25/2/2016
Royal Thai Embassy http://www.baanhollanda.org/en/
Photography by IISD RS coverage of the Twenty-seventh Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC27/GMEF), 18-22 February 2013, UNEP headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya.
