India and Thailand discuss enhancing collaboration on combating online scams
Bangkok, August 10
India's Ambassador to Thailand Puneet Agrawal held a meeting with Thailand's Minister of Digital Economy and Society Chaiyanok Chidchob on Monday to deliberate on bolstering bilateral collaboration, combating online fraud, and integrating digital frameworks to streamline travel for tourists.
Detailing the engagement, the Indian Embassy in Thailand posted on X, "Ambassador Puneet Agrawal paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Chaiyanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand, today."
"Views were exchanged on enhancing collaboration under the existing bilateral agreement on digital technologies, experience sharing on combating online scams, integrating digital ecosystems to facilitate tourists, among others," the embassy added.
The meeting follows recent diplomatic efforts to expand ties across various sectors. Last month, Ambassador Agrawal met Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn to explore pathways for deepening the strategic partnership by augmenting maritime, aviation and roadway connectivity, alongside boosting tourism and cross-cultural exchanges.
Bilateral relations between India and Thailand were elevated to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to Bangkok in April last year.
Continuing the diplomatic momentum, Agrawal met Urasa Mongkolnavin, Director-General of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs at Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on July 16 to review issues of mutual concern aimed at solidifying bilateral ties.
"Ambassador Puneet Agrawal met Mrs. Urasa Mongkolnavin, DG of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both sides exchanged views on various issues of mutual interest such as high-level visits, trade and investment, people-to-people connect, public health and traditional medicine, etc to further strengthen the Strategic Partnership between India and Thailand," the embassy noted.
Additionally, Agrawal engaged in talks with Thailand Trade Representative Chutintorn Gongsakdi at the Government House, centring on boosting trade and investment mechanisms between the two nations.
"Ambassador Puneet Agrawal had a cordial and fruitful meeting with H.E. Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Thailand Trade Representative, at the Government House. Discussions focused on further strengthening trade and investment ties between India and Thailand through identifying areas of complementarities, resolving tariff and non-tariff barriers and having a balanced trade for mutual benefit," the Indian Embassy in Thailand posted on X.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The digital integration for tourists is a smart move! With so many Indians visiting Thailand every year, having seamless digital systems will make travel so much easier. Also, cracking down on online scams protects our people who get trapped by these fake job offers in Bangkok. 🙏
Good initiative but I hope this isn't just another photo-op. We've seen many such agreements before, but ground-level implementation has always been slow. The online scam networks operate across borders, and we need actual joint task forces and real-time intelligence sharing, not just talks. Still, every step counts.
As someone who nearly fell for an online scam last year, this is reassuring. These fraudsters are getting smarter, and international cooperation is the only way to fight them. Thai authorities have been helpful, but we need more awareness campaigns back home in Indian villages where people are still naive about these digital traps.
Living in Bangkok as an expat, I've seen the rise of these scam call centres targeting foreigners. Glad to see India and Thailand coordinating on this. The digital ecosystem integration will also boost tourism—it's a win-win. Hopefully, this translates into faster visa processing and smoother payments for Indian tourists.
The scam economy is booming in Southeast Asia, and many Indian youth are being lured to places like Cambodia and Thailand with fake IT job offers. Once there, they're forced into cyber slavery. This collaboration is crucial, but I hope the Indian government also focuses on rescuing those already trapped and creates awareness about these job scams.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.