India to set up chair for Hindi at Thai varsity

With an aim to further accelerate people-to-people contacts with Thailand, India will set up a chair for Hindi at Thammasat University, which will offer an BA programme in Indian Studies.
In a joint statement issued by Prime Minister Manmoahn Singh and his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra, both sides noted with "satisfaction the contribution of the ICCR Chair for Sanskrit Studies at Silpakorn University and welcomed the decision to establish an ICCR Chair for Hindi at Thammasat University".
Established in 1934, Thammasat University here is Thailand's second oldest seat of higher education.
The two Prime Ministers, recognising the significance of educational collaboration, also agreed to promote more student exchanges at all levels and expressed interest in further enhancing the mobility and exchange of students between India and Thailand, the joint statement said.

Holding people-to-people links as "central" to the bilateral ties, Singh and Shinawatra welcomed the setting up of the Thailand-India Exchange Programme which would help accelerate people-to-people contacts in cultural and other fields benefiting both societies, the statement said.
Besides, the two leaders agreed to further promote exchanges among parliamentarians, academicians, scientists, artists and intellectuals.
Earlier, Singh said, "We place strong emphasis on improving collaboration in areas like science and technology, space science, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges. These will benefit our two countries and bring our people together in a variety of ways. We are also going to mount a major exhibition on Buddhist Art in Bangkok soon."

Singh arrived here after ending his three-day visit to Japan.