13 June 2006
A meal fit for kings and queens
A five-course meal with ingredients from the Royal Project scheme awaits the 400 royal and other guests at tonight's banquet hosted by His Majesty the King at the Borommaratchasathit Maholan Throne Hall.
Leading the team of chefs cooking this historic meal will be Norbert Kostner, executive chef at the Oriental Hotel.
Nearly half of all the dishes for the banquet will include seafood, veal and fresh vegetables from royal projects.
About 150 Oriental Hotel employees will be serving the dishes.
Every table will feature a brief information menu about the main ingredients.
Preparations for the banquet began nearly a month ago, while the dish preparations began 48 hours before the banquet, said Costner, who despite his years of experience was excited to be catering for the banquet in the newly built throne hall.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/13/national/national_30006356.php
Rama IX Throne Hall hosts first official function
HM to receive foreign royals at banquet in Borommaratchasathit Maholan hall
The recently completed Rama IX throne hall will hold its first official function today as His Majesty the King hosts a banquet for the visiting foreign royals.
The Borommaratchasathit Maholan Throne Hall is an extension to the Chakri Throne Hall that was built by King Rama V in the Grand Palace compound.
Matichon Newspaper reported that Kriengkrai Visavamitr, a senior official at the Bureau of the Royal Household's Royal Chamberlains Division, said the new hall was very spacious as it consisted of three rooms: the "yellow" central room, the "blue" eastern room and the "green" western room.
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Although His Majesty was not keen on the idea [of building a new throne hall], royal court officials agreed it should be built to mark the 60th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne, Thanpuying Putrie said.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/13/national/national_30006355.php
King's guests enthralled by the stunning grandeur of centuries-old Thai barge procession
In an unprecedented gathering of royalty from around the world, kings, queens and royal representatives from 26 countries arrived at the historic Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok yesterday to join in paying tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60 years on the throne.
They sat side by side and chatted in a glittering and intimate atmosphere the like of which has never before taken place. Then they were led off by His Majesty the King to attend a photo session with all members of the Thai Royal Family.
Their Majesties the King and Queen and members of the Thai Royal Family arrived at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall soon after 1.30pm to welcome their royal guests.
The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, which overlooks the Royal Plaza, is one of Bangkok's landmark buildings. It is a marble structure built in the early 20th century during the reign of King Vajiravudh and designed by an Italian architect. It has all the renaissance qualities of aesthetic beauty, from its main dome to six smaller domes and paintings adorning the interior.
The throne hall is rich with history. It was the scene of the assembly of Thailand's first Parliament and the country's first Constitution was presented there.
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Then His Majesty made a brief response, in Thai.
"I would like to mention to all of you that it is not the duty of any individual in particular, but the duty of all Thais, to try to do their best in any work for the benefit and prosperity of the country," the King said. "As a Thai myself, I also have duties like other Thais. I would like to thank all who have worked with their best efforts and have lent cooperation to me. I also would like to thank all monarchs and royal dignitaries who attended this occasion. May the Triple Gems and all other sacred entities protect you from all sufferings and danger, and give you happiness."
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/13/headlines/headlines_30006357.php
Exhibition on King's development projects
Monarchs from 25 countries were invited to the opening yesterday of an exhibition of HM the King's Royal Development Projects at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall.
The exhibition, organised by the Foreign Ministry, features the King's royal activities and projects over the past 60 years of his reign. It is pre-sented through multimedia tech-niques.
The royal projects are efforts by the King to help eradicate problems associated with soil, forests, water and human habitation, ultimately leading to sustainable development for local people.
The royal guests were shown a video presentation explaining the main problems of the country, which are erosion, forest fires, flooding and poverty. The presentation outlined the King's many projects to eradicate these problems.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/13/national/national_30006354.php
Two royal visitors visit Jim Thompson House
The Jim Thompson House hosted on Tuesday visits from two princes - one from Liechtenstein and the other from Monaco - both of whom expressed strong interest in Thai culture and arts.
"We are very proud to receive visits from the two princes and very glad that both are very interested in Thai arts and cultures," said Professor William Klausner, president of the James HW Thompson Foundation under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
The Jim Thompson Museum, famous for its showcase of Thompson's extensive collection of Thai and Asian art and antiques, was closed to the public during the morning to host Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Prince Albert II of Monaco.
At 9.20am Prince Alois arrived at The Jim Thompson House to a warm welcome from Klausner, who escorted the prince through the complex of six traditional Thai houses.
"I explained to him the history of the house as well as the story of Jim - how he became interested in Thai silk," Klausner said.
During the 45minute tour Prince Alois was very attentive and particularly interested in the museum's management, Klausner said.
"He mentioned that his family also collected European antiques and recently opened a museum in his palace," Klausner said.
He said the prince was very keen to learn how to attract as many people as The Jim Thompson House, which last year drew more than 170,000 visitors. The museum also presented a necktie to Prince Alois, a scarf to his wife Sophie, Duchess of Bavaria, and Tshirts for all four of their children, said Klausner.
After visiting the museum, Prince Alois planned to go to the Suan Pakkad Palace and the National Museum.
At 10.30am, Klausner hosted another 45minute tour for Prince Albert.
"He was very attentive, particularly to the garden. He also praised the talent of Jim in collecting beautiful antiques as well as the idea of opening his house to the public to showcase his collection."
Klausner said Prince Albert is very familiar with Thailand as he has visited the Kingdom several times. "He said he had been to Phuket. During this trip, he was in Chiang Mai before coming to Bangkok," said Klausner, who presented a necktie to the prince upon his departure.
After visiting the house, Prince Albert presided over the opening ceremony of the Honorary Consulate of Monaco to the Kingdom of Thailand on Sukhumvit Soi 61 and had lunch with Honorary Consul Sribhum Sukhanetr, said Piroon Laismit, the Liaison of Monaco. The two countries recently established diplomatic relations.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/13/headlines/headlines_30006374.php
Emperor praises Thai King
His Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan has deepest admiration for His Majesty the King of Thailand, and praises the Thai monarch as his country's champion of Democracy as well as being the great King of development, who has devoted his efforts to improve the life of the poor to help them stand on their own feet, the Emperor's press secretary said.
In an exclusive interview with Thai News Agency, Sakutaro Tanino, the Emperor's press secretary said the royal visit to Thailand of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan to the grand celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne reaffirmed the close and strong relationship between the two Royal Houses.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=102693
2 more from Profimedia of yesterday at the Royal Navy Club
first one is Haakon & Mette-Marit (still got that holding hands.. ), the 2nd one is a rare sight, the Crown Prince of Bhutan