The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), Admiral (ADM) Adoong Pan-iam, was conferred Singapore's prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) or Meritorious Service Medal (Military) [MSM(M)], by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the award to ADM Adoong at an investiture held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this afternoon.

ADM Adoong was conferred the award in recognition of his contributions in strengthening bilateral defence ties between the RTN and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Under ADM Adoong’s leadership, both navies continued to enhance bilateral defence cooperation through regular high-level visits, cross-attendance of courses, professional exchanges, and the conduct of bilateral and multilateral exercises such as Exercise Singsiam, ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise, Multilateral Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (MCARAT) and the Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX). These interactions have enhanced the cooperation and mutual understanding between both Navies.

ADM Adoong is in Singapore from 13 to 15 August 2024. As part of the visit, ADM Adoong had called on Dr Ng, Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral Aaron Beng and Chief of Navy RADM Sean Wat after inspecting the Guard of Honour at MINDEF earlier today.