Following Unesco’s list of the event as an intangible cultural heritage object in December, the government announced on Sunday that 35 foreign diplomats in Thailand have joined forces with the nation to encourage the country’s this week’s Songkran Thai New Year activities to the earth.
Culture Minister Sermsak Pongpanich stated that the 35 embassies have created a number of short videos to wish Thais a happy traditional New Year to mark the occasion.
These clips have been posted on the Ministry of Culture’s social media accounts, and they aim to tell the world everything about Songkran and the soft power it grants the nation, he said.
The clips were the result of a collaboration between the embassies of Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, the United Arab Emirates, the US and the European Union, said the minister.
Somboon Homnan, chief executive of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s ( BMA ) operation center, said that the number of tourists visiting the city this year’s Songkran festival has increased significantly and that they are taking part in its celebrations in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok.
According to some hiccups observed on Saturday, the BMA added more police and municipal officials to Silom and Khao San roads, the city’s two most well-known water festival celebration sites, on Sunday, he said.
On Silom Road, all lanes, except for one lane designated as an emergency lane, are closed to traffic from midday until 8pm, he said.
Eleven pickpocket cases were reported at this festive occasion on Saturday, he said, adding that those who are going out to splash water should be cautious.
More than 3,000 police and other security personnel were stationed at the Khao San Road site on Sunday alone.
Vendors were on Sunday Additionally instructed to get off the pavement and remain in each alley at both Silom and Khao San, saying that many of them had been observed occupying too much space on the pavement on Saturday.