US President Barack Obama arrived in Bangkok yesterday for a whirlwind visit where he toured Wat Pho, paid respects to His Majesty King Bumibol Adulyadej, held bilateral meetings with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, and gave a meet and greet with US expats and Embassy staff.
It’s not known at this time whether the President enjoyed a Thai massage or bought any Chang Beer tanktops – obligatory “must-dos” for most travelers to the Kingdom – but we are awaiting information on this important matter from Embassy sources.
At a joint press conference with PM Yingluck at Government House, President Obama said it was “no accident” that Thailand was the first country he chose to visit following his re-election and hailed the country as America’s oldest friend in the Asia-Pacific region.
In a lighter moment – when asked by a Matichon reporter what his favorite Thai dish was – Obama said that he liked it all and that he was especially looking forward to eating some for dinner because he was hungry.
Another funny highlight occurred while Obama was touring Wat Pho – Bangkok’s Temple of the Reclining Buddha – when he reportedly commented to an abbot, “We’re working on this budget. We’re going to need a lot of prayer for that.” The President was referring to the looming “fiscal cliff,” a combination of tax increases and spending cuts that will take effect on January 1, 2013 if lawmakers in Washington DC can’t come to a compromise on the budget.
Obama touched back on prayer and budgets at the Government House press conference, saying, “I always believe in prayers. I believe in prayer when I go to church back home, and If a Buddhist monk is wishing me well, I’ll take whatever good vibes he can give me to try to deal with some challenges back home.” The quip elicited laughter from the crowd, which was made up mostly of Thai and international media, including the White House press corps.
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Obama landed in Air Force One at Don Mueang Airport in northern Bangkok around 3pm.
Thai dignitaries, the US secret service, and media lined up on the tarmac at Don Mueang in anticipation of his arrival.
Air Force One, a militarized Boeing 747 known as the VC-25, landed safely and taxied to the private jet terminal, where Mr. Obama was greeted on the red carpet by US Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney and Thai officials. After handshakes were exchanged, the president waved to the press pool and got into his famous bulletproof black Cadillac limousine.
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Also traveling with Obama was US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the pair’s first stop was to Wat Pho temple in Bangkok’s old town, where they were given a tour by assistant abbot Phra Sutheethammanuwat.
The abbot praised Obama for offering a wai instead of a traditional handshake, the Nation reported, and the President complimented the temple on its cleanliness. The abbot told Obama that because he had paid homage to the Reclining Buddha he would be re-elected to a third term, but the President replied that he didn’t want a third term as he wanted to raise his children. Obama then pointed to Mrs. Clinton and said that she would be the next president, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
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The President’s next stop on his agenda was to Siriraj Hospital on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, where he paid respects to HM King Bumibol Adulyadej. “It’s a great honor,” Obama said to HM The King upon meeting him.
Obama said he brought greetings from the American people “who are so grateful for the friendship of our two countries and are great admirers of yours — your wisdom and your leadership,” the AP reported.
HM The King gave Obama a few gifts at their meeting, including something for his wife Michelle, that reporters were not able to catch a glimpse of.
Obama gave HM The King a photo album of all the US Presidents who had visited Thailand, with the last page blank so a photo of his visit could be added. He also gave HM The King a framed lithograph of the Thai and US flags that was specially commissioned to “symbolize friendship” between the two countries, the AP reported.
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After leaving Siriraj Hospital, Obama’s motorcade traveled to Government House on Rama V Road.
His armored Cadillac pulled up to the front of the building around 6pm where he was greeted by Prime Minister Yingluck and other dignitaries.
Flashbulbs from media photographers – gathered on a grandstand nearby – went off in a steady whir as Obama and Yingluck walked in the twilight down a red carpet to receive a full Thai military salute and hear the national anthems of the US and Thailand from a marching band.
The pair of leaders then entered Government House for a closed door bilateral meeting, where the main subjects on the agenda were security and trade and investment. Obama and Yingluck reaffirmed that they would cooperate on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
At the joint press conference, Obama greeted the crowd with a sawadee kab and ended things with a kop koon kop. He also mispronounced Burmese opposition leader Aung San Su Kyi’s name twice. President Obama maintained the US protocol of calling the country Burma, while Yingluck referred to it as Myanmar. Obama traveled today to Burma, in the first visit ever by a sitting President to the former pariah state.
“The United States is and always will be a Pacific nation,” Obama told the crowd in some of his first remarks. “As the fastest growing region in the world, Asia-Pacific will shape much of our security and prosperity in the century ahead, and it is critical to creating jobs and opportunities for the American people.”
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At the formal dinner with Yingluck following the press conference, Obama enjoyed spicy salmon salad, crispy noodles, somtam, grilled chicken, Northeastern-style sausage, soup with beef balls and vegetables, green curry with beef, salted yolk with shredded pork, fried vegetables with crab meat, grilled prawns with tamarind sauce, and fragrant jasmine rice, the Nation reported.
Yingluck gave the first toast congratulating Obama on his election victory, saying the dinner was “a celebration for your second term in office. I believe your presidency will be a successful one and fruitful” for fostering Thai-U.S. relations.
Obama said his visit to Thailand was far too brief, but said he has already felt the warmth of the Thai people and their dignity and strength, the AP reported. “This is the ‘Land of Smiles,’ and I’ve felt it everywhere I’ve gone,” Obama said, calling Thailand the United States’ “oldest friend” in Asia.
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Obama then traveled to Chulalongkorn University Sport Complex where he held campaign-like meet and greet with US expats and Embassy Staff at 9pm.
His motorcade left about an hour later onto an empty Phayathai Street that had been cleared by Bangkok police.
After the last car whizzed away, police waved on the local cars and motorbikes on and Bangkok’s normal, crazy traffic resumed.
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Full video of the joint press conference with President Obama and Prime Minister Yingluck is below.
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