THE Royal Thai Consulate in Penang held its Songkran Water Festival for the first time at the Hin Bus Depot in George Town today after the event was halted for the past three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The attendees, especially the children, had a gala time in the traditional water fights using water guns and pails of water.
Officially celebrated on April 13 as a Thai national holiday, Songkran is celebrated as the Thai New Year.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who was also present at the festival, said Penang enjoys long-standing warm relations with the Kingdom of Thailand, evidently from the historical links and the sizeable community of Penangites with Siamese ancestry.
“As such the Songkran Water Festival has always been featured in our local calendar, with Pulau Tikus’ Wat Chayamangkalaram (Thai Buddhist Temple) being a focal point of the yearly celebration.
“In ushering in the Thai New Year, we look forward to welcoming more friends and visitors from Thailand back to our shores. Similarly, Penangites are also known to regularly travel to Thailand for their holidays.
“With our shared enjoyment of local food, I am confident that we can rebuild and strengthen our tourism industries together,” Chow said in his speech.
He was warmly welcomed and shown around by the Thai consul-general in Penang Raschada Jiwalai.
Raschada thanked the Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC) for sending its youth volunteers to help in organising the event and also enlisting the Han Chiang students and teachers to help draw a mural. He also presented certificates to them.
Besides the array of food and products available at the festival, the crowd was also treated to some Thai cultural performances.
Later, Chow visited a nearby art exhibition on the same grounds, entitled ‘Art Speaks’, organised by the Fairview International School, on the impromptu invitation of one of its students, Srijit Vetrimurugan.
The seventh-grader asked Chow to look at the paintings and artworks done by his school that were put up for sale with the proceeds going to help furry pets.
Chow instantly obliged and he was impressed with Srijit’s briefing on the exhibits. Also helping Srijit was fellow student Gordon Lim Yixun.
The students’ efforts were not wasted as Chow and other dignitaries present bought some of their artworks.
Also present were Penang Youth and Sports Committee chairman Soon Lip Chee, Thai senator Datuk Anusart Suwanmongkol, Japanese consul-general in Penang Kawaguchi Yoshiyasu, Penang Chinese Town Hall president Tan Sri Tan Khoon Hai, Penang Chinese Town Hall vice-president Datuk Heng Yak Hooi, Penang Youth Development Corporation general manager Dr Gwee Sai Ling and PYDC assistant general manager Ng Hooi Ting.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi
Video by Darwina Mohd Daud