The Chief of Defence Forces of the Royal Thai Armed Forces General (GEN) Chalermphon Srisawasdi called on Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning. During their meeting, Dr Ng and GEN Chalermphon reaffirmed the close and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and Thailand. Both sides also discussed ways to deepen defence cooperation.

GEN Chalermphon, who is in Singapore from 24 to 27 April 2022 for an introductory visit, also called on Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong after inspecting the Guard of Honour at MINDEF. Tomorrow, GEN Chalermphon will visit the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre and Information Fusion Centre at RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base, where he will be briefed on how the centres support HADR and maritime security efforts respectively. GEN Chalermphon will also visit the Counter-Terrorism Information Facility tomorrow.

GEN Chalermphon's visit underscores the strong bilateral defence ties between Singapore and Thailand. Both armed forces interact regularly through bilateral exercises, professional exchanges, visits, and cross-attendance of courses, as well as through multilateral platforms such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus. Such interactions have deepened the bilateral defence relationship, enhanced mutual understanding, and strengthened both professional and people-to-people ties between the two armed forces.

Relevant health checks and safety measures were taken by the visiting delegation.