Portuguese-Thai relations

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Portuguese-Thai relations
Location of Portugal and Thailand
PortugalPortugal ThailandThailand
Portugal Thailand

The Portuguese-Thai relations describe the intergovernmental relationship between Portugal and Thailand . The countries have maintained renewed diplomatic relations since 1862.

The bilateral relations are traditionally considered to be good. They go back to the arrival of the Portuguese in 1511, who evangelized in what was then Siam and thus introduced Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church in Thailand . They traded here in the following centuries and in return provided the Thai rulers with military and technological support. Go to the Portuguese u. a. the desserts known in Thailand as foi thong are back.

In Portugal today, Thailand is best known as a travel destination and for its gastronomy and traditional Thai massages . In 2016, 1,475 Thai nationals lived in Portugal, with 817 most of them in the Beja district .

A Portuguese community exists in Thailand to this day, but its exact size is unknown. Especially in Ban portuguete , the Portuguese village near Ayutthaya , they are still based today and maintain a lively community life, for example with gastronomic festivals on Portuguese holidays or the Miss election for Miss Portugal na Tailândia .

history

From the 16th to the 19th century

Map of the capital Ayutthaya from the 17th century, with two Portuguese quarters noted

The first contact between Thailand and Portugal officially dates back to 1511, when a Portuguese delegation led by Duarte Fernandes came to the court of the Siamese King Ramathibodi II with rich gifts . Afonso de Albuquerque was about to take the important trading city of Malacca and sent the delegation to Siam , today's Thailand. The Portuguese had known about the conflict of interests between Siam and the Sultan of Malacca from Diogo Lopes de Sequeira since 1509, and therefore Fernandes met the expected goodwill in Siam. The king gave Fernandes a confidante and generous offers for his return journey. The Portuguese immediately intensified these friendly contacts with a new delegation under António Miranda de Azevedo and Manuel Fragoso , who traveled to Thailand in 1511 and stayed there for two years. They then sent their comprehensive reports on Siam to the Portuguese governor in Goa . An exchange between Siamese and Portuguese developed, which is documented in a number of chronicles .

As mentioned Tomé Pires in his Suma Oriental also Syam . This designation for today's Thailand remained in use in the West (until the country was officially renamed in 1941). Also Duarte Barbosa , João de Barros and Fernão Mendes Pinto described in detail Siam. Barros, for example, described the people of the country as extremely religious, and Barbosa mentions the religious bond between king and people.

This deep religiousness of the Siamese places narrow limits on the success of the Portuguese missionaries. In 1555 the Dominicans were the first Portuguese to begin their missionary work there. They built a church, but could only convert a few Siamese. The Franciscans, who started working in 1585, and the Jesuits who arrived here in 1607 also build churches, but remain similarly unsuccessful. Only the Christians who arrived in 1614 and were expelled from Japan significantly enlarged the Christian communities in Siam.

The Thai foi thong , which is still popular today , was introduced by the Portuguese in the 17th century

Among the Christians who immigrated from Japan was the Japanese-Portuguese Guiomar de Pina . She became the wife of notorious Prime Minister Constantine Phaulkon , who was later executed . She introduced Portuguese desserts to his court in the Kingdom of Ayutthaya (now Thailand), some of which have remained popular in Thailand to this day, especially the foi thong .

After the Burmese Ava Empire subjugated the Siamese Kingdom of Ayutthaya and burned its capital in 1758, the Sino-Thai general Phaya Tak drove the Burmese back in 1762 and settled in Bangkok , where he proclaimed himself king. The Portuguese in the country had remained loyal to him and now, along with their commercial activities, remained undisturbed and well-liked. They were also helpful for foreign trade, which Thailand is now strengthening.

Portugal's ambassador António Félix Machado de Faria e Maya (left) at the farewell at the end of 2010, u. a. with Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva (mi.)

Since the 19th century

From the 1820s, Thailand increasingly came into conflict with the colonial powers England and France. However, it was largely able to assert itself and, with King Mongkut's accession to the throne in 1851 , it turned to modernity and also to the normalization of its relations with the western powers in order to secure Thai independence.

On December 3, 1862, Isidoro Francisco Guimarães , the Visconde da Praia Grande , was named in the Kingdom of Siam as head of the newly opened Portuguese Legation. The agency was also responsible for China and Japan for the next few decades.

From 1904 the legation remained vacant until after the turmoil of the two world wars the representation resumed its full work in 1952. In 1964 the Legation was upgraded to a full embassy.

The Portuguese Embassy in Bangkok

diplomacy

Portugal maintains an embassy in the Thai capital, Bangkok . There is also a Portuguese honorary consulate in Chiang Mai .

The Thai representation in Portugal is located at 12 Rua de Alcolena in the Lisbon municipality of Belém . There is also a Thai honorary consulate in Porto .

economy

Tourist tuk-tuks in Coimbra : these typical vehicles are among the export goods from Thailand to Portugal

The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP has a branch in the Thai capital Bangkok.

In 2016, Portugal exported goods worth 22.6 million euros to Thailand ( 2015 : 23.6 million; 2014 : 22.6 million; 2013 : 19.0 million; 2012 : 21.2 million) , of which 26.7% machines and devices, 19.2% paper and cellulose, 11.9% textiles, 7.8% minerals and ores, and 7.2% metals.

In the same period, Thailand delivered goods worth EUR 136.8 million to Portugal ( 2015 : 120.1 million; 2014 : 121.3 million; 2013 : 90.2 million; 2012 : 97.6 million) , thereof 29.4% machines and devices, 20.6% rubber and plastics, 17.4% vehicles and vehicle parts, 5.9% shoes and 5.3% chemical-pharmaceutical products.

Thailand was 76th among buyers and 42nd among suppliers in Portuguese foreign trade, while Portugal was 66th among buyers and 70th among suppliers in Thai foreign trade.

Culture

The Portuguese cultural institute Instituto Camões (IC) is in Thailand u. a. present with a cultural center in Bangkok and lectureships at universities. There has been a Portuguese-language editing department at Chulalongkorn University since the late 1980s .

Sports

The Portuguese national futsal team took part in the 2012 Futsal World Cup in Thailand and was only eliminated there after extra time in the quarter-finals against Italy.

Thai martial arts, especially Muay Thai, are practiced in Portugal . The Portuguese umbrella organization Federação Portuguesa de Kickboxing e Muay Thai was founded in 1988 and has hosted a large number of competitions since then, such as the 2013 Muay Thai European Championships in Lisbon.

Web links

Commons : Relations between Portugal and Thailand  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Overview of diplomatic relations with Thailand at the Diplomatic Institute in the Portuguese Foreign Ministry , accessed on May 4, 2019
  2. ↑ Number of foreigners in the official foreigner statistics by district , Portuguese Immigration and Border Authority SEF, accessed on September 2, 2017
  3. ↑ Article on the Portuguese community in Thailand in the Portuguese blog Luso Sucessos , accessed on September 2, 2017
  4. ↑ a b Fernando Cristóvão (Ed.): Dicionário Temático da Lusofonia. Texto Editores, Lisbon / Luanda / Praia / Maputo 2006 ( ISBN 972-47-2935-4 ), pp. 850f
  5. ↑ List of the Portuguese ambassadors in Bangkok ( memento of the original from September 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at the Diplomatic Institute in the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed on September 2, 2017 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / idi.mne.pt
  6. ↑ List of Portuguese missions abroad , Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed on September 1, 2017
  7. ↑ Consular contact page of the Thai Embassy in Portugal , accessed on September 1, 2017
  8. ↑ AICEP website for the Bangkok office , accessed on September 2, 2017
  9. ↑ a b c Bilateral Economic Relations between Portugal and Thailand , AICEP website, accessed on September 2, 2017
  10. ↑ Overview of the activities in Thailand  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English and other), Instituto Camões website, accessed on September 1, 2017@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.instituto-camoes.pt