Thai PM to be chief guet on India’s 63rd Republic Day

This is the third consecutive time India has invited a leader from an East Asian country to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, an honour accorded to special friends with which New Delhi wishes to accelerate its diplomatic and economic ties.  Shinawatra will be the third guest from Southeastern nation to be accorded this honour in as many years.  South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak was the chief guest in 2010, followed by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2011.