Bangkok: The Emerging North-East Eco Forum (ENEEF), in collaboration with the Thai Bharat Cultural Lodge (TBCL), organised the “NE SEA Confluence: North East India × South East Asia Confluence” in Bangkok on February 14, marking an important milestone in strengthening cross-regional cooperation between North-East India and South-East Asia.
Held at the Thai Bharat Cultural Lodge, the event brought together representatives from cultural institutions, industry bodies, academia, and international cooperation networks.
The initiative comes amid India-ASEAN engagement and growing global interest in emerging frontier regions for tourism, culture, and sustainable economic development.
Organisers described the Confluence as a long-term engagement platform designed to connect North-East India with South-East Asia through cultural diplomacy, economic dialogue, sectoral partnerships, and knowledge exchange. The forum seeks to position North-East India as a strategic cultural and economic gateway linking South Asia with South-East Asia.
The Confluence was inaugurated by Mr. Satyajit Aribam, Chairman of ENEEF, who emphasised the importance of cultural diplomacy as a trust-building foundation supporting long-term economic and institutional cooperation between regions. The sessions were moderated by Ms. Jyoti Rekha Bora, facilitating structured discussions across sectors.
Several key TBCL supporters including Mr. Rajendra Pandey, Mr. Sushil Pandey, Mr. Rakesh Mettakhun, Mr. Sushil Kumar Dhanuka, Khun Sutham Sajjatep, Ms. Somsong Sachaphimukh, and Mr. Sunil Kothari played important roles in strengthening community-level cultural and institutional cooperation.
A key highlight of the Confluence was the formal recognition of Ms. Mangka Mayanglambam as ENEEF Cultural Ambassador in acknowledgment of her contribution to promoting North-East Indian cultural identity and artistic heritage at regional and international platforms.
The Confluence featured strategic dialogue across tourism cooperation, digital economy development, cybersecurity cooperation, connectivity infrastructure, creative industries, and knowledge economy partnerships. Speakers including Dr. Simone Natali, Mr. Niranchai Tripati, Mr. Sanjeev Jindal, Mr. Titas G, and Mr. Rajendra Pandey, a specialist in hospitality, luxury resort development, and construction, shared cross-sector perspectives supporting long-term regional integration and cooperation development across emerging regional sectors.
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During the programme, a special edition bag from Michelangelo was presented as a commemorative gift, designed under the “M x Michelangelo” concept by Mr. Pichet Nitipaisalkul. On this occasion, ENEEF and Michelangelo International also expressed their shared intention to explore and develop future business collaboration, aiming to support creative industry opportunities and market development connected to North-East India.
The cultural segment featured a performance by Ms. Mangka Mayanglambam, joined by members of the Manipuri community in Thailand, reflecting strong cultural unity and shared heritage beyond borders.
Participants attended from India, Thailand, Malaysia, China, New Zealand, Italy, Israel, and the United States, reinforcing the Confluence’s position as an emerging international cooperation dialogue platform linking South Asia, South-East Asia, and global knowledge and industry networks.
Organisers stated that through the NE SEA Confluence, ENEEF aims to strengthen cultural diplomacy as a foundation for long-term economic cooperation, support tourism growth through cross-regional destination promotion, expand creative industry collaboration, facilitate knowledge exchange, and enable early-stage institutional dialogue that may evolve into structured cooperation frameworks.
