On 8 December 2022, Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) traveled to Haa Dzongkhag, located in the west of Bhutan, and paid a courtesy call on Hon’ble Dasho Dzongdag Mr. Melam Zangpo, Governor of Haa Dzongkhag. The Governor thanked the Royal Thai government for its continued support to strengthen communities in Bhutan, including Haa province, through the development of agricultural products and community-based tourism, under the Project on Sustainable Community Development Model Based on the Application of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy for the One Gewog One Product (OGOP) Villages in Bhutan (OGOP Model II). On this occasion, the Director-General of TICA also visited the Model Community Learning Center in Uesu Gewog and met with Bhutanese villagers whose livelihoods were improved through the OGOP Project.  She stressed the importance that this project belongs to the people of Ha Community, therefore inputs and comments on product development that will suit the local market demands are vital to the success of this project. Communities can work close with Mr. Phalakrit Karahong, Friends from Thailand (FFT) volunteer who is currently stationing in Haa, Lhuentse and Trashi Yangtse provinces to help the communities develop products and tourism that will be best suited to the context of  the Ha community.

Later in the afternoon, Mrs. Ureerat also visited the National Research Center for Riverine and Lake Fisheries, which is the biggest institution in Bhutan, and was given a brief tour around the fish farms, including the sturgeon and trout farm. This research center is a collaboration with Royal Project Foundation of Thailand to scale up sturgeon farming in Bhutan. Mrs. Ureerat also visted the Haa Dairy Group which is a community cooperative focuses on developing dairy products that are locally produced and developed in Haa including milk, cheese, butter, yohurt and so on.