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Published on January 26, 2008

Paterson yesterday attended a ceremony to congratulate the latest Thai recipients of Australian scholarships. This year 23 scholars from Thailand won Endeavour Awards and will study and conduct research at universities in Australia, while three young Thai students received Australian Leadership Awards, which aim to develop future leaders.

Last year, about 20,000 Thai students studied in Australia, and Paterson described the relationship between the two countries as very close.

"There's no country where Thais go more than Australia," Paterson said. "My interest is not so much in the business that generates for us, although that's important. My interest is more in the long-term bonds it builds, the understanding that Thais have of Australia when they come back here, that is going to secure our future relationship."

Despite the diplomatic disruption caused by the 2006 coup, Paterson expects the relationship to get back on track now that Thailand has democratically elected a new government.

"Some of our programmes, like wanting to extend the provisions of the Thai-Australia Free Trade Agreement, we've really had no negotiations over that period, and we'll be encouraging Thailand to get that moving again."

But Paterson said the strong, two-decade relationship between educational institutions in the two countries had remained unaffected by the coup.

"If cooperation was to be diminished because of political events, then it wouldn't be the politicians who would suffer, it would be the students, and we wouldn't want that to happen."

Dr Janjira Wongkhomthong is president of the Christian University of Thailand, one of 67 private educational institutions in Thailand, and former president of the Association of Private Higher Institutions of Thailand.

She expressed pleasure at the benefits studying in Australia had brought to her university after several of her staff studied there but said the relationship between private universities and Australia needed strengthening.

"I hope it will be improved," she said. "Each collaboration in any sector is important, so I'd like to see the Thai and Australian governments, as well as the public universities in Australia and Thailand, see the significant roles of the private universities," she said.

Pitchaya Mungkornasawa-kul, a doctor in environmental science from Chiang Mai University, received an Endeavour Award through the Australian Scholarships Programme. She will spend six months conducting research at Australia's Wollongong University.

"I will conduct research on biopesticides in agriculture, for use in Thailand and Australia," she said.

Lily Partland

The Nation