SWEDEN, July 18 – Ragunda municipality in Jämtland in northern Sweden is celebrating the 114th anniversary Thailand’s King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) visiting this Scandanavian kingdom in 1897.
The news appeared on the front page of the local newspaper, giving pride to Thais living there.
The King Chulalongkorn Memorial Building was built to honour the monarch in Ragunda Municipality’s Bispgarde, about 500 kilometres from the capital of Stockholm. The celebration takes place annually in July.
As Ragunda municipality and Bangkok are sister cities, a delegation of Bangkok Metropolitan Council (BMC) representatives, led by BMC council chairman Sutthichai Weerakoonsoontorn, were invited by Ragunda’s mayor to participate in the celebration to be held Tuesday at the authentically Thai-styled pavilion which attracts visitors from throughout Sweden.
Mr Sutthichai said the Council will take this opportunity to follow up discussion of sending medically-trained Thais to be employed as caregivers for Swedish elderly. Negotiation started a year ago.
Jariya Boonpiem, a 32-year-old Thai living in Sweden, said King Rama V’s visit helped promote Thailand to Swedish people and that she was proud to be Thai.
In addition to Ragunda municipality, Bangkok is also a sister city to other 29 cities worldwide.
