On 7th August 2015, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in collaboration with the Royal Thai Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence, will organize a ceremony to commemorate the 48th Anniversary of the Establishment of ASEAN at the Center of Strategic Studies of the Royal Thai Armed Forces in Commemoration of His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary, Laem Thaen, Chonburi Province. H.E. General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, will preside over the opening ceremony and the attendees will include the ASEAN Secretary General, members of diplomatic corps and distinguished guests. The ceremony will witness the raising of the ASEAN flag and national flags of the ASEAN Member States followed by the release of 49 pigeons as a symbol of peace in the region.

Prior to the opening ceremony, General Boonsrang Niumpradit, the former Chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, will preside over the inauguration of the “Center for Strategic Studies of the Royal Thai Armed Forces in Commemoration of His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary”. Formally known as the residence of Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsongkram, the historical site served as a venue for ASEAN’s five founding Members of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to discuss the establishing of ASEAN on 6 August 1967. This friendly yet determined discussion led to the signing of the Bangkok Declaration on 8 August 1967 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Saranrom Palace), which established ASEAN.

Furthermore, in order to raise awareness and promote better understanding of ASEAN Community amongst the Thai public, the Royal Thai Armed Forces will hold a seminar under the theme, “The Dawn of the ASEAN Community” in the afternoon on the same day at the said venue. Two hundred guests are invited to participate in the forum to share and exchange news on Thailand’s preparedness and the future of the ASEAN Community.