Historic vessel from Colombia on show at Bangkok Port
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The "ARC Gloria", a training ship belonging to the Colombian Navy that arrived at the Bangkok Port on Saturday, will remain in Thailand until tomorrow.
This is believed to be the first time in 58 years a Colombian Navy vessel has visited the Kingdom. The last time was in 1955 when the “ARC Almirante Padilla” – a frigate – berthed here.
The arrival of Colombia’s most emblematic ship was organised by the government in Bogota to celebrate the reopening of its embassy in Bangkok.
The vessel’s arrival was also timed to coincide with a recent official visit by Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin, who hosted a meeting in Bangkok of Colombian ambassadors in Asia and Oceania.
Another part of the reopening celebrations is the upcoming visit to Thailand of the Gospel Choir of Children from San Andres Island, a Colombian territory in the Caribbean Sea.
There will also be an exhibition in Bangkok of works by two artists from Thailand and Colombia. This joint-exhibition is based on a relationship the artists developed through written exchanges – the only contact they initially had with each other.
The celebrations are aimed at strengthening ties between Thailand and Colombia – two nations with many traditional and cultural interests in common.
Last year ARC Gloria conducted four training cruises, which allowed 81 cadets and 240 apprentices to learn some seamanship, celestial navigation, electronics and meteorology – among other skills.
