Australia, Thailand forge stronger links in several areas

BANGKOK, February 22 (TNA) - Australia and Thailand have agreed to forge stronger links on a wide range of areas, particularly education. Stressing education as a pillar of bilateral relations between Canberra and Bangkok, visiting Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr on Thursday announced at a press conference in the Thai capital that eight schools from across Australia have agreed to partner with eight Thai schools, through the Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement (BRIDGE) program, aimed to establish ties between Australian school students with students from Thailand, China, Indonesia and Korea through the exchange of knowledge, culture and language skills. Under the BRIDGE program, Thai teachers will travel to Australia for a week in March 2013 to engage with their partner schools, while Australian teachers will travel to Thailand in June this year, all relevant activities of which are funded by the Australia – Thailand Institute (ATI), in response to the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper's call for Australians to develop stronger relationship with Asia. In 2012, over 19,900 Thai students enrolled in educational courses in Australia, as Canberra is trying to boost greater educational exchange with allied nations. Canberra welcomes Australian applicants to submit for scholarships to study in Thai universities as part of their degree in 2014, also funded by the ATI. Nine of the eleven scholarships were offered to Australian students to study in Thailand this year, with three Australian students having started their studies in Thailand since January 2013. Carr, who is also an Australian Senator for New South Wales, is visiting Thailand for the first time this week as the Australian Foreign Minister, after a visit to Australia by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck in 2012, when Australia and Thailand celebrated their 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. (TNA)