Thailand looking to ink pact with Indian cities

CHENNAI: Thailand today expressed interest in inking agreements with Indian cities with an aim to boost bilateral trade. "We have already signed the Free Trade Agreement with India... Now, we are looking at signing agreements with Indian cities," Governor of Trang Province in Thailand Maitri Inthusut told PTI here.

The Governor, on a two-day visit to Chennai, said the proposal to sign agreements with cities was due to increased bilateral trade which is expected to double this year.

"We want to have an agreement with Chennai as it is considered the Detroit of India. It is also the centre of industry. We want to invite all industry stake holders to Thailand", he said.

The present trade volume between Thailand and India stands at USD 6.65 billion.

"We are expecting it would double this year. In the first five months of this year, it has already touched USD 3.4 billion," he said.

According to TRANG province, Bureau of Trade and Investment Corporation Executive Director Adul Chotinisakorn the first sister-city pact between Port Blair and Trang Province was signed in 2006, in a move to attract more tourists from India.

In 2010, about eight lakh tourists visited Thailand, while about 50,000 people from Thailand visited India.

During his visit, the Governor, who is accompanied by a 23-member delegation, would meet various industry stakeholders to promote rubber plantation which constitutes 85 per cent of Trang's area.