Prime Minister Narendra Modi with ASEAN leaders. (Photo: AFP)
In a first, leaders of 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (
ASEAN) are the chief guests of the Republic Day parade and ceremony at Rajpath near India Gate as India marks its 69th Republic Day. ASEAN is a regional grouping of 10 Southeast Asian countries. In the guest list are Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, Laos' Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak, Myanmar's State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Philippines' President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The chief guest at India's first Republic Day on January 26, 1950 was the President of Indonesia, and since then, five other Southeast Asian leaders have chief guests at the Republic Day parades.
Here's a look at Republic Day chief guests in the last decade:In 2008, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked when India marked its 59th Republic Day.
In 2009, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 60th Republic Day.
In 2010, South Korea's President Lee Myung Bak visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 61st Republic Day.
In 2011, Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 62nd Republic Day.
In 2012, Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 63rd Republic Day.
In 2013, Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 64th Republic Day.
In 2014, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 65th Republic Day.
In 2015, United States' President Barack Obama visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 66th Republic Day.
In 2016, France's President Francois Hollande visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 67th Republic Day.
In 2017, United Arab Emirates' Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India for the Republic Day Parade when India marked its 68th Republic Day.