The fruit of friendship: Thailand Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Panich Vikitsreth (left) and Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf (second right) participate the first harvest at a watermelon plantation in Maheung, Aceh Besar, on Thursday. Vikitsreth ended a two-day visit to Aceh to seek cooperation with the province. JP/Hotli Simanjuntak

Thailand is seeking to strengthen ties with Aceh, particularly in trade and sharing of technology for a tsunami early warning system being developed in the Indonesian province.

Thai Deputy Foreign Minister Panich Vikitsreth ended his two-day visit to Aceh on Thursday for this purpose.

Vikitsreth said the Thai government was moved to help rebuild Aceh after the devastation of the 2004 tsunami, having also felt the impact of the same disaster.

Since then, the Thai government has been helping Aceh rebound through a number of projects it funded.

“The Thai government will continue to support technical support and exchange technology in agriculture, fisheries and other sectors to improve the lives of the Aceh people,” Vikitsreth said Wednesday after a closed-door meeting with Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf.

One of the important issues that the Thai and Aceh administrations will work on is strengthening cooperation through the business sector. The sector with the highest potential to be developed by both parties is the fisheries sector.

According to Vikitsreth, Aceh is the area with the largest fish resources in Southeast Asia.

He expressed hope Thai fishermen would be able to fish in Aceh waters without breaking the law, given the cooperation between both countries.

”We have discussed with the Aceh governor the rules and regulations, and how Thai fisherman fishing in Indonesian waters can comply with the law, and that the Aceh authorities may issue fishing licenses to Thai fishermen,” Vikitsreth said.

He added the cooperation would also extend to fish processing and storage.

Fish storage technology was one of the hot topics discussed by both parties, with the technology being used in Thailand to be tested in Aceh.

However, it requires good infrastructure, such as a steady supply of power and clean water, as well as skilled manpower.

Vikitsreth promised that cooperation in the fisheries sector was not aimed at benefitting only Thai fishermen, but fishermen from both countries, although Thai fishermen had far more advanced technology at their disposal than Indonesian fishermen.

He added the Thai government would provide training for Aceh fishermen so they could be competitive and technologically advanced, and thus thrive in the fisheries sector.

Another potential sector to further improve ties is tourism. The Thai government intends to establish direct flights between Aceh and Thailand, particularly to the world-renowned tourist hotspot of Phuket.

“There should be a direct connection between Thailand and Aceh, because they both have many tourist destinations that could be of benefit for both parties,” Vikitsreth said.

Thailand also seeks to forge cooperation in technology,particularly for a tsunami early warning system, currently being implemented in a number of places in Aceh.

“We want to learn and share the experience with Aceh, so in the future, Thailand can learn and implement it in the event of an earthquake or tsunami,” Vikitsreth said.

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