Stories tagged with king
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A Kings celebration in Chiang Mai
A grand music and cultural festival in Chiang Mai has been set for the 81st birthday of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The festival will be held at the Chiang Mai Night Safari on December 5 and 6. The massive event is expected to attract thousands of tourists from around the world.
The birthday festival will showcase northern Thai culture. There will be performers from various regions of Thailand exhibiting cultural dance, music, singing and fashion. The shows will take place on entertainment stages throughout the Chiang Mai Night Safari. There will be hundreds of artists and local vendors selling handicrafts and exhibiting many types of art found in Southeast Asia and Thailand.
The Chiang Mai Night Safari has hosted many events in the past years, but organizers say this event will be one of their most grand ventures yet. The times will coincide with the events taking place in Bangkok. There will be large screens on which the events in Bangkok can be viewed while enjoying the performances in the north. Organizers are encouraging that travelers book hotel rooms and check on ticket availability as soon as possible.
Posted by: Andrew on 03 Dec 2008, 17:01 -
Jim Thompson Farm
Halloween is becoming more and more popular around Thailand, and now there is a pumpkin patch that can satisfy even the hard-core goolins’ and goblins’. Just three hours from Bangkok, in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, lay the Jim Thompson Farm. The farm is open to visitors who are interested in picking their own pumpkin, or just spending the day at a beautiful plantation. There are many activities for all ages at the farm, which encompasses over 600 rai. Around the huge reservoir there are vegetable plantations, nurseries, orchards, sunflower fields, and the infamous pumpkin patch. Throughout the farm are the mulberry bushes that feed silkworms, which provide silk for the famous Jim Thompson brand. The farm also uses the leaves from the mulberry bushes to make a nutritious and delicious tea that is sold to visitors. Pumpkin patches have been a popular attraction in the United States for many years. The Jim Thompson farm has been open since 2001, and many people from around Thailand have enjoyed their fall festivities. The peak of the season for the farm is late fall and winter, when tourists can enjoy the cool weather and harvest activities.
Posted by: Andrew on 02 Dec 2008, 17:04 -
Thailand unites to pay final respects
Millions of people throughout Thailand paid their final respects to Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Saturday evening. The revered Thai Princess died ten months ago. A massive 14-tonne gilded chariot with the urn containing the Royal Princess’s body was pulled through the royal grounds surrounded by decorated troops, courtiers and royal umbrellas.
The elaborate ceremony, costing an estimated nine million dollars, was broadcast on nearly every major Thai television station throughout the country. Cannons boomed and tears fell as people crowded around temples and televisions throughout the countryside. Major temples around the Thai Kingdom held services to pay respect the Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana.
Ancient music echoed through the streets as the body made its way to the funeral pyre that stood 39 meters high, and was modeled after Mount Meru, the mythical Buddhist site considered to be the center of the universe. His Majesty the King arrived in full decoration surrounded by his family to begin the cremation ceremony. The Thai Kingdom, in the midst of recent political turmoil, showed steadfast solidarity during the ceremony honoring the late princess.
Posted by: Andrew on 17 Nov 2008, 10:38 -
Thailand insists king not richest monarch
Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej was named the world’s wealthiest reigning monarch by Forbes magazine, topping the list with a fortune of US$35 billion. Thailand’s government was quick to dismiss the ranking, however, because it included property belonging to the crown that is not part of the king’s net worth.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Forbes report was “inaccurate and inconsistent” since it included the vast land holdings and other assets “belonging to the Crown Property Bureau that are not part of the king’s net worth.”
The Nation newspaper reported that the foreign affairs ministry said the Crown Property Bureau is an institution “which essentially belongs to all Thais.” It owns and manages the assets of the monarchy, but the assets are not the personal wealth of the king. The ministry did not, however, offer its own estimate of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s personal net wealth.
The Crown Property Bureau owns vast amounts of land across Thailand, and is one of the largest landholders in Bangkok. It also has big stakes in Siam Commercial Bank and Siam Cement two of the kingdom’s largest companies. Coming in second place on the Forbes list was the Sultan of Brunei.
Posted by: Andrew on 27 Aug 2008, 08:37 -
Changing Lives in Doi Angkhang
A Royal Project of His Majesty the King has helped transform the lives of hilltribes in Doi Angkhang, Chiang Mai, creating the possibility of a higher quality of life. Where locals once depended solely upon opium fields and rice paddies, various fruit harvests have been cultivated in this vibrant valley.
The Angkhang Royal Agricultural Stations was the first of its kind to be established by the Royal Project in 1969. Over the decades, the Project has succeeded in introducing temperate climate fruit farming despite the initial resistance of the locals. Harvesting opium had proven easy and lucrative, making the transition to other crops a hard sell.
Visits by His Majesty, among other things, finally convinced the hilltribes to make the transformation. All the land in the Angkhang area is now used to its full potential, proving the success of this project.
The Royal Project has expanded over the years to include 36 development centres and eight agricultural stations.
Posted by: Zoe on 13 Dec 2007, 10:14