BANGKOK | Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong set aside the formalities of diplomacy on Wednesday, September 2, when they shared a musical performance of The Beatles’ classic “Let It Be” during an official dinner in Bangkok.
Anutin took the microphone while Wong accompanied him on guitar at a dinner hosted by the Thai prime minister and his wife at Government House, following the 5th Thailand-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat. The two leaders also performed Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” according to reports and video of the gathering.
The light-hearted performance came after a day of substantive talks on the future of Thailand-Singapore relations. The leaders agreed to advance a “Forward-Looking Strategic Partnership”, with cooperation covering the green and digital economies, artificial intelligence, energy resilience, connectivity, food security, defence and efforts to combat transnational crime.
Wong described the meeting as the first Thailand-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat for him and Anutin and said the platform had been revived after a hiatus of more than a decade. The two governments also agreed to work closely as Singapore and Thailand prepare to chair ASEAN in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
The musical exchange offered a relaxed contrast to the formal agenda. “Let It Be,” written primarily by Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles in 1970, became one of the group’s best-known songs during its final period. The Beatles formally broke up that same year, making the song part of the musical legacy of the band’s closing chapter.
The choice also carried an unexpected historical resonance. Thailand and Singapore established formal diplomatic relations on September 20, 1965, and marked their 60th anniversary in 2025. Their relationship has since developed into a broad partnership involving defence, trade, investment and people-to-people ties.
For a few minutes in Bangkok, however, diplomacy gave way to music as the two Southeast Asian leaders demonstrated a more informal side of their relationship, with Wong on guitar and Anutin at the microphone.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
