After the successful staging of the second Food and Cultural Festival recently, the Thai embassy is now planning to organise a week-long Asean food festival in May. Ambassador Panyarak Poolthup told Gulf Times that the event would feature cultural performances and authentic Asean food. “We want to promote Asean identity to the people of Qatar,” said Poolthup who now heads the Asean Committee in Doha (ACD) which is composed of seven member-countries. Poolthup disclosed that guests and visitors will enjoy native dishes from Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. The Thai embassy said it was now looking for a suitable venue for the event. “We are considering a five star hotel where everyone would be comfortable and enjoy the festival”. He noted that the recent festival for a cause had raised QR12,500. At least QR5,100 was donated to the Veterans General Hospital in Thailand and the rest went to Thais in Qatar who are in dire need. Part of the proceeds also benefited the Thai Culture and Language School in Doha. Attended by top envoys and hundreds of expatriate workers, the annual festival has delighted the huge crowd with authentic Thai cuisine and offered a variety of products. “The embassy received many positive feedbacks from the visitors. They enjoyed all the shows and were delighted to try different Thai dishes,” the ambassador said in his e-mail. Thanking all those who helped organise the festival, Poolthup also lauded the teachers of the Thai Culture and Language School and the Thai community for volunteering and working hard to make the event successful. Officials also announced that the embassy had changed its website from “www.thaiembqatar.com” to “www.thaiembassy.org/doha”. It now has three languages: Arabic, English and Thai which provides information about Thailand and the embassy’s activities. As part of promoting local tourism in Qatar, it also opened a Facebook fanpage under the name “Thai Embassy Doha” which will contain news, photos, and announcements. Poolthup said they were also planning to hold an Asean Day reception in August. Various sport events, including the annual family day, will be held throughout the year. http://www.gulf-times.com/qatar/178/details/345468/thai-embassy-plans-asean-food-festival

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