Thailand prime minister Pol Lt Col Thaksin Shinawatra visited the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore on Monday, as part of his ongoing visit to the country.

ISRO chairman Dr K Kasturirangan, briefed the Thai premier about the various applications to which Indian space systems have been used in the fields of telecommunication, broadcasting, developmental education and disaster warning. ISRO has leased a few transponders on Thailand's THAICOM satellite to augment the INSAT capacity. Thailand is also one of the countries receiving data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites.

According to an official release, the Thai premier evinced keen interest in the Indian space programme and expressed his appreciation for India's achievements in this field. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation including his deputy, other ministers and trade representatives.

The prime minister and his delegation also visited the Satellite Integration Laboratory and the Space Exhibition at the centre, officials said.