Mayor Hsieh's Visit to Bangkok / 象相歡 泰國市政參訪暨外交之旅
Last year, the death of Kaohsiung City Shoushan Zoo's star elephant, Annie, cast a shadow over the public. However, in April of next year, Thailand will present a pair of elephants as a gift to Taiwan, in the hope that they will be our new favorites. This is one of the main reasons that Kaohsiung's Mayor Hsieh visited Thailand in December last year.
As Mayor Hsieh's arrival at Bangkok, he received an enthusiastic ovation from local overseas Chinese. The Vice Chairman for Committee on Science and Technology Charinrat presented him with a model of an elephant at the Rose Garden Hotel.
Liang-Pao Chou, who, upon learning of the death of Annie, initiated this exchange. He contacted the authorities in Thailand, and made it possible for the Committee on Science and Technology to present a pair of young elephants, aged 5 and 8 years old, to the Shoushan Zoo.
"Elephants are very precious animals," Mayor Hsieh said. "It is an honor for the people of Kaohsiung to receive a pair of young elephants as a gift, and we will cherish them." Mayor Hsieh hopes that this activity will strengthen the cooperation between Kaohsiung and Bangkok, and as a result, between Taiwan and Thailand as well.
The Director of Kaohsiung Affairs Bureau Wen-Liang Li pointed out that elephants are a protected species, and Thailand is an area with FMD. Because of this, after the Thai Congress gives consent, it will take another two months for the countries that do research on elephants with Thailand Life and Society Foundation to go through the transportation training and import processes. Therefore, two elephants will arrive at the Shoushan Zoo in April, at the earliest. The veterinarians who will accompany the elephants to Taiwan will take care of them for three months at the zoo.
The delegation also paid a visit to Bangkok Taiwan Center and Bangkok City Mayor Samak.
Bangkok Taiwan Center was established in 1946, and its members have increased from about 50 to 1,000. Not only, it has become the most important organization for overseas Chinese in Thailand, but serves as a bilateral political and economic bridge between Taiwan and Thailand. Bangkok Taiwan Center was built with funds from Taiwanese merchants, and is now the biggest Taiwan Center in the world. It has five stories, conference rooms, libraries, exhibiting rooms that display books related to Taiwan culture, and local art works.
Tainan Nankunshen Temple's Wangyeh, a deity whose worship was brought over to Thailand on November 7th, 1976. A new temple was built in 1991, and it has been an in-cense-choked religious center for the local overseas Chinese.
In the company of Madam Sujitra Lapteerawut, the leader of the overseas Chinese group, Mayor Hsieh met Samak. He has been an organizer of Thailand's political party, a Deputy Prime Minister, and returned to serving in local governments four years ago. He visited Taiwan and Kaohsiung thirty years ago. He exchanged views with Mayor Hsieh on the Special Trade Zone issues. "Thailand is now constructing highways," he said, "to transport products through Vietnam, to the Special Trade Zone, in order to save time." Mayor Hsieh also emphasized that Kaohsiung wishes to be accepted as a free port, so that relations between Taiwan and Thailand can move further ahead.
去年，高雄市壽山動物園動物明星大象「安妮」老死，許多民眾都非常不捨，但今年四月，壽山動物園將有一對由泰國眾議院贈送的亞洲象，可望成為民眾新寵﹔這也是高雄市長謝長廷安排於去年十二月赴泰國訪問的主要目的之一。
謝市長抵達泰國曼谷後，受到當地僑界熱烈歡迎，在當地玫瑰花園飯店接受泰國眾議院科技源能環保委員會副主席嘉玲娜代表贈送大象模型儀式。
這次大象贈送活動是由總統府顧問周良寶促成，得知安妮死亡的消息之後，幾經聯繫終於促成這次贈送大象活動﹔由泰國眾議院科技源能環保委員會贈送一對年紀在五至八歲的小象給壽山動物園。謝市長表示，象是泰國珍貴的動物，高雄市很高興能夠獲贈一對小象，一定會好好珍惜，並希望藉此提升高雄與曼谷、台灣與泰國的友誼。
建設局長李文良指出，由於象是保育類動物，泰國又是口蹄疫區，因此，這次大象捐贈將在泰國國會同意後，透過與「泰國生命與社會基金會」合作的大象研究國家，進口一對亞洲象到台灣，由於還需要二個月的裝箱訓練及進口程序，因此，最快在今年四月抵達壽山動物園，屆時，隨行照護人員也將進駐動物園三個月。
謝長廷泰國訪問團此行也走訪了位於曼谷的台灣會館，以及泰國暹羅代天宮，並赴曼谷市政府拜會市長沙瑪。
泰國台灣會館自一九四六年設立至今，會員人數從五十多人增加至千人，已經成為旅泰台灣鄉親最重視的社團之一，以及台泰雙邊政經交流的橋樑。泰國台灣會館是全球最大的台灣會館，全部由台商出資興建，獨立五層樓的會館不但有會議場地，還有圖書室及展覽室，陳列台灣相關書籍與本土藝術創作者作品。
而泰國暹羅代天宮是已故橋領鄭景耀在一九七六年十一月七日，恭迎台灣台南南鯤伸代天府五王爺到曼谷成立分靈廟，一九九一年在泰國北攬府挽蒲古城鄰邊現址動土興建新廟、安厝至今，香火鼎盛、是當地華人重要信仰中心。
謝長廷在在曼谷市政府與沙瑪市長會面。沙瑪是泰國國民黨創黨者，並曾擔任泰國副總理，四年前返回地方參選服務，他在三十年前就曾到訪台灣、高雄，與謝市長兩人也針對自由經貿特區議題交換意見，沙瑪指出，泰國正在興建公路將貨物透過越南舟來自由經濟特區海運以節省時間，謝長廷也強調，高雄市也可望申請通過成為自由貿易區，未來雙方可以進一步交流。