Warm welcome for Queen in Thailand

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32849, 24 February 1972, Page 6

Warm welcome for Queen in Thailand

BANGKOK, February 13.

Everywhere they went in Thailand —“the land of the free and the smile”—Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne were cheered by the people, who often stood patiently in their thousands in pouring rain to greet the Royal visitors. It was a happy tour.

Queen Elizabeth was the first British monarch to officially visit Thailand since a relationship between the two countries began in 1612, but King Bhumibol Adulayadej ana Queen Sirikit of Thailand were the guests of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1960. On the first day of the visit, the British Royal party were met by the King and Queen of Thailand and taken to the Metropolitan Pavilion to receive the keys of the city from the Lord Mayor of Greater Bangkok. They reviewed a guard-of-honour and met officials and diplomats. About 15,000 people greeted the visitors at the ceremony, including 200 school teachers who performed the Thai welcome dance. For their first meal in Thailand — a luncheon put on by the King and Queen at Chitralada Palace — the British guests were served typical Thai food, including Thai sausage, sago soup, and three-coloured rice.

After a busy round of daytime engagements, Queen Elizabeth, the Duke, and Princess Anne met the press at Sivalai Gardens, before attending a glittering State banquet at the Grand Palace. At the banquet, King Bhumibol welcomed Queen Elizabeth not only as the monarch of the United Kingdom, but equally as the Head of the Commonwealth. “In a way, we feel that we are now repaying part of the hospitality which we received during our visits to New Zealand and Australia in 1962 and to Canada in 1967,” he said. “State visits are always moments of special importance, for it must be borne in mind that in making them, Heads of State are actually representing the desires of their peoples to strengthen their relations and becomes better acquainted with each

Queen Elizabeth addressed King Bhumibol in the customary form used for Thai reigning sovereigns as “Sir, My Brother.”

“The relations between people of different nationalities on first contact are always unpredictable, but the history of the relationship between Thais and Britons seems to indicate that we are compatible,” Queen Elizabeth said. The Royal visitors did not attend all functions together. On their second day, for instance, the Queen of England and the Queen of Thailand visited the National Blood Centre. Latef Queen Sirikit—patron of the Thai Red Cross, presented Queen Elizabeth with the Red Cross Commendation Medal, while the Duke was taken to the Bavaranives Buddhist temple to see how the monks lived. Princess Anne spent this time with students of Thamasat University, and at the Fine Arts College she watched classical dancers putting on their costumes before they gave a display of dancing. Later she had lunch with the students. The Queen and the Duke also met Thai students, and won their hearts by walking around meeting them in the Souring rain at Chulalongom University.

In the afternoon, Princess

Anne went shopping for Thai silk, while her parents did a tour of the Ancient City of Bangpoo, not far from Bangkok. They were met there by the King and Queen and two of their daughters, who showed the Royal visitors the ancient city, where there are replicas of almost every pagoda and stupa in Thailand. Rain fell again. And instead of having tea in a beautiful garden and watching ancient Thai games, such as boxing and sword fighting, the Royal party had to sit inside a pavilion.

Princess Anne accompanied her parents on their visit to Ayudhaya, the old capital of Thailand, to see how Hie people lived on both sides of the Chao Phraya—the country’s main river. Queen Elizabeth was particularly interested in the various kinds of boats on the river, and in the Buddhist temples near the banks.

Queen Elizabeth held a return banquet on board the Royal yacht Britannia for the King and Queen of Thailand. Earlier she had received all members of the Commonwealth in Bangkok at the British Embassy. RELAXATION

After their flight to the Bhumibol Dam in Tak province, at the end of a busy official programme, the British guests spent their last two days in Thailand at Bhubing Palace in Chiengmai relaxing. There they were greeted with the “Bai Sri” ceremony and a traditional procession. Later they were entertained at a northern Tai dinner at Bhuping Palace and watched a performance by Thai dancers, one of whom was a former “Miss Universe” (Abhasara Kitiyakaorn).

The Thai people will never forget the wonderful visit of Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne and were sorry to see them leave for Singapore and Malaysia.