SPEECHES AND REMARKS: OPENING CEREMONY
Mr. Vanich Varikul
Director General
Fisheries Department
Thailand
On behalf of the Department of Fisheries of Thailand, I have the pleasure to welcome you to this Third Meeting of NACA's Provisional Governing Council and to Thailand. It is our distinct privilege to be host to two consecutive meetings of this regional body; it speaks well of your kind regard of our country. I understand that during this four-day occasion, the review of two regional projects, the NACA and the Seafarming Development Project, will also be conducted. We are therefore pleased to welcome the presence of a greater number of participants with wider geographic origins and more varied institutional representations. I am informed that with NACA managing the Seafarming Project, the entire network of linked aquaculture centres in Asia now consists of 20 regional and national centres. With this development, the participation of our own Department of Fisheries in the network activities has expanded even more. For example, the Brackishwater Aquaculture Division and its stations as well as the National Institute of Coastal Aquaculture have become more involved. For our part, we welcome and actively support these developments, as we also strongly believe that regional cooperation is an effective means of attaining national development objectives.
The presence of representatives of collaborating organizations, donor governments and assistance agencies is encouraging. I hope you will find interesting and common areas of interest in the Programme of Work of the Intergovernmental NACA. I am informed the work programme is being tabled for discussion and approval in this Meeting. I believe that the Programme is based on no overriding concern other than the vested interests of the peoples of the Region.
In my capacity as official of Thailand's Department of Fisheries, I eagerly look forward to the implementation of the Work Programme for regional aquaculture development under the Intergovernmental NACA. In the same spirit, I wish to assure you that the Fisheries Department of Thailand shares your determination to achieve the objectives of this Third Meeting of the Provisional Governing Council; more so in your determination to make the Intergovernmental NACA succeed.
Again, welcome to Thailand.
