Government promotes "Thainess"

BANGKOK, January 6 (TNA) - The government, through the Ministry of Culture, promotes "Thainess" through public campaigns, covering "Siamese smile and courtesy among the public. Presiding over the opening ceremony of an official Thainess campaign in Bangkok on January 6, Culture Minister Veera Rojpojanarat said his ministry has been assigned by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha to concretely promote Thai cultures, focused on Thainess through Thai ways of life and Thai cultural heritages, in parallel with cultures of member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and world heritages. Veera noted that his ministry, thus, plans to implement campaigning activities, namely Thai cultural shows organised at schools and through various media channels, to encourage public participation in expressing the Thainess, covering Thai courtesy, namely Siamese smile, saying sawasdee (hello) and expressing wai (a polite gesture of thank you or sorry). Besides, all agencies under the Thai Ministry of Culture are working together in an integrated manner to prepare Thainess activities for the Children's Day 2016, which falls on January 9, to promote the Thai values of smiling and saying sawasdee, thank you and sorry at approprate times, aimed at creating a social immunity and promoting virtues and ethics among youths in line with the government's 12 core values. Meanwhile, Education Minister General Dapong Ratanasuwan announced that his ministry will organise Children's Day 2016 activities at Sanam Sua Pa near the Royal Plaza in Bangkok on January 9, based on this year's motto of "Good Children Are Diligent and Crave to Learn, for a Bright Future", presented by Prime Minister General Prayut. General Dapong told journalists that the activities for the Children's Day 2016 comprise of two parts, the first of which is bringing 772 outstanding Thai youths who have brought fame to the nation to pay a courtesy on the prime minister and to receive plaques of honour at Bangkok's Government House on January 7 and the second of which are events at Sanam Sua Pa on January 9, from 8:30am-6pm, under the theme of Kind Carnival, to provide participating youths with knowledge-based happiness. (TNA)