On 14 September 2023, Ambassador Prapan Disyatat had a meeting with the leaders of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce for the Riau Islands. Ambassador, along with Mr. Martono Anggusti, Honorary Consul of Thailand for Medan, and the Embassy team had a productive discussion with Mr. Tony Siahaan, Mr. Martin Tandi Rura, and Mr. Denny – the three deputies of Indonesian Chamber of Commerce for Riau Islands.
Both parties discussed economic potentials and challenges of Batam Municipality, as well as the Riau Islands as a whole. The area is already well-known for its prominent marine and shipyard industry, and the Chamber of Commerce was keen to develop the renewable energy industry (especially solar panel), entertainment centres, and medical facilities. From the discussion, two prominent sectors were identified for further collaboration with Thailand, namely, food and tourism industry. The two parties hoped this visit would lead to more cooperation between Thailand and the Riau Islands.