On July 21, 2022 The Centre for South-East Asian Social Studies UGM hosted “Thailand day” – an inter-university event aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between the Gadjah Mada and Thammasat Universities. The event was held in the frameworks of a larger PSSAT initiative known as “Country in Focus”, which takes place annually since 2014.
During “Thailand day”, six Thai students, who are on internship in PSSAT UGM in June-July 2022, shared their country’s culture with other interns and employees of the Centre. Interns from Thailand made a presentation about Songkron day and provided the guests with the basic information about Thai culture in general. On top of that, they taught all the participants some phrases in Thai language and showcased their skills of performing traditional Thai dances.
Dr. Hamam Supriyadi (Thammasat University) was also among those who took part in the event. In his opening speech, Mr. Supriyadi stressed that Indonesia and Thailand have much in common. These similarities can be seen clearly in terms of cultural, historical, and ethnical background. It implies that the countries have had close economic and political bonds throughout the centuries. It was also noted that a lot of Malay nationals still live in the southern part of Thailand. Besides, the Javanese and Thai culture have a lot in common due to the strong Malay influence.
The final part of the event consisted of a Thai film “Bike Man” in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.
Thailand Day is a series of SEA-GATE 2022 activities with Thammasat University. Thai students had the opportunity to visit Prambanan Temple to meet the local community and learn about Indonesian history and culture, especially the folks and kingdoms in the past.
