On 5 December 2022, the Royal Thai Embassy in Copenhagen hosted a reception at the Vesterhavet Hall, Copenhagen Marriott Hotel, to celebrate the auspicious occasion of the Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, the National Day of the Kingdom of Thailand and Thailand’s Father’s Day.
H.E. Mrs. Sirilak Niyom, Ambassador of Thailand to Denmark, delivered a speech in recognition of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great’s lifelong dedication to the well-being of the Thai people as the "Development King" and the "Father of the Nation". She highlighted cordial and amiable relations between Thailand and Denmark which has lasted long for more than 400 years and this year is very special as the two countries celebrated three important occasions:
1) The 60th anniversary of the Thai-Danish Dairy Farm inaugurated in Muak Lek District in Saraburi Province since 1962 following the inspiration of His Majesty the late King to develop a dairy farm in Thailand to create job and income for Thai farmers after his visit to Denmark in 1961. The strong collaboration in dairy sector between Thailand and Denmark has continued nowadays with the signing of the MOU on Dairy Cooperation in January this year in Bangkok which aims to promote smart and sustainable dairy farming in Thailand.
2) The 60th Anniversary of the Arrival of Thai Elephants in Denmark which were gifts from the King and Queen of Thailand to the King and Queen of Denmark in 1962 and symbolizes the close friendship between the two Kingdoms.
3) The 50th Anniversary of Thai Airways’ Bangkok-Copenhagen route as its first destination to Europe since 1972 that has promoted growth, trade, and people connectivity between Thailand and Denmark for over half a century.
The audiences were invited to see the exhibitions on the Thai-Danish Dairy Farm and the Thai elephants in Denmark which were on display at the reception hall.
Her Excellency the Ambassador further highlighted the success of Thailand in hosting a gathering of leaders in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) who endorsed the Bangkok Goals on the Bio-Circular-Green or BCG Economy as a comprehensive framework to further APEC’s sustainability objectives and that Thai and Danish businesses are entering into new partnership in the fields of the future, such as green energy, eco-friendly food production and agriculture as they see new business opportunity from Thailand’s new focus on BCG Economy Model.
Her Excellency also took this opportunity to seek support for Thailand’s candidature to host the Specialised Expo - 2028 in Phuket under the theme “Future of Life: Living in Harmony, Sharing Prosperity” which will be the first-ever Expo in Southeast Asia. She emphasized that the Expo’s construction will ensure sustainability and take into account the environmental impact that could be a platform for all countries to share resources, knowledge and expertise in search for innovative and collaborative solutions for the future of life beyond 2030. A short video clip about Thailand’s candidature to host the Specialised Expo - 2028 in Phuket was also presented to the audience.
In the end of the speech, Her Excellency the Ambassador invited all the guests to join in a toast for the good health and happiness of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of Thailand and Her Majesty Queen Margrethe the Second of Denmark.
The Ambassador’s remark was followed by the performance of royal compositions of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great by Mr. Jakob Dinesen, a saxophonist and Mrs. Yasmin Dinesen, a vocalist. His Majesty the late King was not only the working Monarch but also a talented musician and is known as a great jazz saxophone player and composer. In addition, Thai traditional dances and music were performed during the reception by Thai performers from the Thai community in Copenhagen.
There were around 200 guests attended the reception, consisting of diplomatic corps, representatives from Danish public and private sectors, Friends of Thailand from various circles, and representatives of the Thai community in Denmark. The Royal Thai Embassy provided selection of Thai food namely Pad Thai, Green Curry, stir-fried Thai basil with beef, and Khao Soi, an egg noodle dish from the Northern part of Thailand which was ranked as the best soup in the world in 2022 on TasteAtlas, an online travel guide focusing on food. Wide array of Thai desserts were also prepared and provided in the reception with support of members of the Thai community in Copenhagen.