Malaysian Embassy In Bangkok To Promote Cultural Exchange For Thai And Malaysian Students

By Linda Khoo Hui Li BANGKOK, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand hopes to promote cultural exchange between Thai and Malaysian students for greater cultural understanding. Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Jojie Samuel said the cultural exchange programme will enrich students’ knowledge and personal development, aside from giving them the opportunity to meet new friends. He added that such programmes will also benefit teachers and adults. “We can start by focusing on small elements, such as learning simple greeting phrases in Thai language and Bahasa Melayu, traditions and festivals, and traditional games. When the situation permits, we can even have physical visits for students to learn traditional dances and musical instruments. “If this is successful, we can even expand it to other schools in ASEAN. This will provide an avenue for our students to build long-lasting friendships, giving them opportunities to learn about their neighbours so as to promote inter-cultural ties and awareness,” he said. Earlier, Jojie had visited the Phratamnaksuankulab Mahamongkon School in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom Province where he handed over sports equipment worth 24,000 baht (RM 3,000) and promotional material on Malaysia to the school. Jojie who is the school’s patron since 2019 as participant in a Patron’s Project organised by Bangkok’s Young Ambassador of Virtue Foundation with the support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, said the programme is part of public diplomacy or outreach programme to promote cooperation between the embassy and educational institutions. He hoped the contribution of the sports equipment will help to further promote and develop interests for sports among the school students. Jojie also encouraged the Pratamnaksuankulab School and the embassy to explore ways to promote virtual cross-cultural exchange between the school and schools in Malaysia. -- BERNAMA