Bangkok, 17 March 2023– UOB Thailand has announced the launch of its “Tap & Go” contactless payment service for its debit cardholdersat all Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations in Bangkok and Nonthaburi province. This fare payment service will allow customer to make quick and secure payments by simply tapping their UOB and TMRW debit cards on the contactless payment card reader at the ticket gates.
With this new feature, UOB customers can now enjoy a faster and more convenient way to pay for the daily commute without having to queue up or fumble with cash. The Tap & Go service is also designed to be highly secure, as it uses advance encryption technology to put customer data and a robust fraud detection system can ensure secure transaction.
Mr Tearavath Trirutdilokkul, Managing Director, Card Payment & Unsecured Products, UOB Thailand said, “We are excited to be the top two banks to launch Tap & Go contactless payment service for debit cardholders in partnership with MRT. This new feature exemplifies our commitment to providing cutting–edge solutions that keep up with the changing demands of our customers.”
Mrs Wattana Sittiwaitayaporn, Assistant Managing Director Commercial Development & Corporate Communications Group of Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company Limited (BEM), the operator of MRT Blue Line and Purple Line, said “BEM has improved and installed the system at the automatic fare collection gates inside all Blue Line and Purple Line stations. To support the payment of fares via EMV Contactless cards, both VISA and Master, which will increase the convenience and speed on the go. Passengers can use their EMV Contactless Debit Card to tap the automatic gate to travel without having to exchange coins or buy MRT card.”
Mr Nattavut Trivisvavet, CEO of Bangkok Metro Networks Limited, the provider of advertising media and MRT station–based activity space leasing services, said “The number of commuters using MRT on dailybasis during peak hours has significantly increased in the last quarter, and they have already used UOB debit cardholdersso promoting “Tap&Go”, a contactless payment service, a fast and safe way to pay the fare via UOB debit cards with BMN which is probably the most effective way to let their customers know that UOB has never stopped improving their customer experience.”
The fare rate of MRT will be deducted in a single transaction from the account linked to debit card after 2:00 am the following day. UOB and TMRW debit cardholders can check for MRT transaction shown as “MRT–BEM“ in the UOB TMRW mobile app.
The launch of this new service is part of UOB’s ongoing efforts to provide seamless banking experience for its customers in Thailand. With over 53 MRT stations across Bangkok, this move is expected to benefit average about 400,000 commuterswho rely on public transport everyday.
To apply for UOB debit card, please contact UOB branches nationwide or call 02-285-1555. For more information about ‘Tap & Go’ contactless payment service on debit card, please visit www.uob.co.th/personal/promotions/debitcard/uob-debit-mass-transit.page
In this picture (From left to right): Ms Suporntip Pongsachamnankit, Executive Director, Card Business UOB Thailand,Mr Nattavut Trivisvavet, CEO of Bangkok Metro Networks Limited, Mr Tearavath Trirutdilokkul, Managing Director, Card Payment & Unsecured Products, UOB Thailand, Mrs Wattana Sittiwaitayaporn, Assistant Managing Director Commercial & Corporate Communication Group Development of Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company Limited (BEM) and Mr Witsuwat Amkaphet, Managing Director of Bangkok Metro Networks Limited.
FILE - The Microsoft Corp. logo is displayed outside the Microsoft Visitor Center in Redmond, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is infusing artificial intelligence tools into its suite of office software, including Word, Excel and Outlook emails.
The company said Thursday the new feature, named Copilot, is a processing engine that will allow users to do things like summarize long emails, draft stories in Word and animate slides in PowerPoint.
Microsoft 365 General Manager Colette Stallbaumer said the new features are currently only available for 20 enterprise customers. It will roll it out for more enterprise customers over the coming months.
Microsoft is marketing the feature as a tool that will allow workers to be more productive by freeing up time they usually spend in their inbox, or allowing them to more easily analyze trends in Excel.
The tech giant based in Redmond, Washington, will also add a chat function called Business Chat, which resembles the popular ChatGPT. It takes commands and carries out actions — like summarizing an email about a particular project to co-workers — using user data.
“Today marks the next major step in the evolution of how we interact with computing, which will fundamentally change the way we work and unlock a new wave of productivity growth,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement.
Mattel, Instacart and other companies have also been integrating generative AI tools like ChatGPT and the image generator Dall-E to come up with ideas for new toy cars and answer customers’ food questions.
Microsoft rival Google said this week it is integrating generative AI tools into its own Workspace applications, such as Google Docs, Gmail and Slides. Google says it will be rolling out the features to its “trusted testers on a rolling basis throughout the year.”
Microsoft’s announcement came two days after OpenAI, which powers the generative AI technology Microsoft is relying on, rolled out its latest artificial intelligence model, GPT-4.
Khunying (Lady) Sirivadhanabhakdi, a wife of Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and co-founder of TCC Group and Thai Beverage, died on March 17, 2023 at 80. The conglomerate is one of the largest companies in Thailand.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn has instructed Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to attend the funeral and give Lady Wanna royally sponsored rites at Wat Debsirindrawas Ratchaworawiharn, a second-class royal temple in Bangkok.
Charoen and Khunying Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi
Khunying Wanna was born on 2 March 1943. She was the daughter of the magnate Gingju Saejew. She then married Charoen and has five children together, including Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, President and CEO of Thai Beverage.
Khunying Wanna was a veteran investor in real estate for more than 50 years and was a co-founder of TCC Group, one of the biggest conglomerates in Thailand. Before her death, she sat as the first executive vice chairman for Thai Beverage since 2018.
Sirivadhanabhakdi family / TCC Group
Thapana once told how he lived his life according to his mother’s words, “Our health is ours. The money belongs to others. Power is temporary but reputation remains forever. All this means that if we fall ill, not even our loved ones can help us. The money belongs to others, which means even if you think it belongs to us, it is given to others in the end. Power is temporary, that is, nothing lasts forever. But for reputation, what we have done remains forever.”
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says is an intercontinental ballistic missile in a launching drill at the Sunan international airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, March 16, 2023.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Friday it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile to “strike fear into the enemies” as South Korea and Japan agreed at a summit to work closely on regional security with the United States and staged military exercises around the region.
The missile was launched Thursday morning hours before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Japanese Prime Minster Fumio Kishida at a summit partly aimed at rebuilding security ties between the U.S. allies in the face of North Korean nuclear threats.
With four missile displays in about a week, North Korea has ratcheted up its tit-for-tat response to ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that are the biggest of their kind in years.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches what it says is an intercontinental ballistic missile the country test-launched at the Sunan international airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, March 16, 2023.(Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
The Biden administration wants better South Korea-Japan ties, which declined over historical issues in recent years, as it pushes to strengthen its alliance network in Asia to counter the North Korean nuclear threat and China’s rising influence.
Aside from their combined exercises that began Monday and run through March 23, the United States and South Korea are also participating in anti-submarine warfare drills, along with Japan, Canada and India, that began Wednesday.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test-firing of the Hwasong-17 missile and stressed the need to “strike fear into the enemies” over what it called the “open hostility” shown to the North by the U.S.-South Korea exercises.
Launched at a high angle to avoid the territory of North Korea’s neighbors, the missile reached a maximum altitude of 6,045 kilometers (3,756 miles) and traveled 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) before landing in waters off the country’s eastern coast, KCNA said.
The South Korean and Japanese militaries assessed the flight similarly, indicating the the U.S. mainland is within the missile’s range. It remains unclear whether North Korea has developed nuclear bombs small enough to fit on its long-range rockets or the technology to ensure its warheads survive atmospheric reentry when fired at a normal trajectory.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands following a joint news conference at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)
North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published photos of Kim watching from afar as the missile blasted off from a launch vehicle parked on an airport runway.
Kim was accompanied by a girl who appeared to be his daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 10 years old. She has accompanied him to several military events since she was publicly revealed for the first time during another ICBM launch in November. Analysts say the intent of her public appearances at military events is to tie the Kim family’s dynastic rule of North Korea to the nuclear arsenal Kim sees as the strongest guarantee of his survival.
Rodong Sinmun also published photos implied to have been taken by a camera on the missile as it soared into space. They showed a rounded view of the Earth, with clouds scattered over what appeared to be the Korean Peninsula and Asian coastline.
The photos were apparently intended as proof the missile would be capable of accurately striking its target, said Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior analyst at South Korea’s private Sejong Institute.
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says is an intercontinental ballistic missile in a launching drill at the Sunan international airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, March 16, 2023
While all of North Korea’s ICBM tests have been conducted on a high angle, Cheong said the North is likely coming closer to launching one of those missiles at an angle closer to normal ballistic trajectory across the Pacific Ocean, in what would be one of its most provocative weapons demonstrations ever.
KCNA said the ICBM launch sends a “stronger warning” to North Korea’s rivals who are escalating tensions with their “frantic, provocative and aggressive large-scale war drills.” The test also was designed to confirm the reliability of the weapons system, KCNA said.
Kim said it’s crucial for North Korea’s nuclear missile forces to maintain readiness to counterattack rivals with “overwhelming offensive measures anytime” and make them realize their persistent and expanded military actions will “bring an irreversible, grave threat to them,” KCNA said.
Lee Hyojung, spokesperson of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said it’s deeply regrettable that the North continues to use the U.S.-South Korean military drills as an excuse to stage provocative military demonstrations.
“It’s clear that North Korea’s reckless nuclear and missile development is the cause of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” she said, urging Pyongyang to return to dialogue.
South Korean soldiers march as A U.S. soldier sits on military vehicle during their joint military drill in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Speaking at a lecture in Singapore on Thursday, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino said China has a role to play in the world if it adheres to the rules-based order, especially in regards to North Korea, which depends on Beijing as its major ally and economic lifeline.
North Korea’s ramped-up weapons development, underscored by the dozens of missiles it test-fired last year, poses an increasing threat to South Korea and Japan and the country has also “developed the capabilities to threaten the United States as well,” Aquilino said.
“It is destabilizing, it’s unpredictable, it’s continuing, it’s not slowing down. The potential for the People’s Republic of China to help to dissuade the DPRK from executing these events would be helpful,” Aquilino said, using the initials of North Korea’s official name.
North Korea has long portrayed regular U.S.-South Korean military drills as rehearsals for a potential invasion, although the allies describe those exercises as defensive.
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says is an intercontinental ballistic missile in a launching drill at the Sunan international airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, March 16, 2023 (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Many experts say North Korea uses its rivals’ drills as a pretext to aggressively expand its nuclear arsenal and overall military capability. They said it seeks to force the U.S. to accept the North’s status as a nuclear power and to negotiate ending sanctions against it from a position of strength.
Since last week, North Korea also has test-fired cruise missiles from a submarine and fired short-range missiles into the sea, attempting to show it could conduct potential nuclear strikes on both South Korean targets and the U.S. mainland.
Thursday’s launch was North Korea’s second of an ICBM this year. The Hwasong-15 launched in February is a slightly smaller weapon than the Hwasong-17.
At the summit between Yoon and Kishida, the leaders agreed to resume defense dialogue and further strengthen security cooperation with the United States to counter North Korea and other regional challenges.
“The ever-escalating threat of North Korea’s nuclear missile program poses a huge threat to peace and stability not only in East Asia but also to the (broader) international community,” Yoon said. “South Korea and Japan need to work closely together and in solidarity to wisely counter the threat.”
Organizations today require a simple, intelligent, manageable networking architecture to support their rapidly changing and ever-expanding business. MV Communications Co., Ltd. (MVComm, www.mvcoms.com), a leading provider of telecommunication solutions in Thailand, today introduces the new Grandstream (Grandstream, www.grandstream.com) unified communications and networking solutions that build a seamless, easy-to-manage communication platform from the United States to meet the needs of the Thai market.
As MVComm has been in the computer networking market for more than 20 years and reputable for providing computer networking equipment, with after-sales service that can address the specific problems of each customer group. This heritage strength promotes strong presence of Grandstream’s IP telephony system (VoIP) brand to the top position in this group. Therefore, the new Wi-Fi Access Point, Wi-Fi Router and Ethernet Switching products embedded with a device management system launched to Thai market today will enrich the networking product portfolio.
Grandstream is a global provider of unified communications and networking solutions products, sold in more than 150 countries to billions of customers worldwide. Grandstream authorizes MVComm as the only official distributor in Thailand, to sell VoIP solutions in Thailand for more than 15 years. The Grandstream name means quality, innovation and reliability as it has been manufacturing cutting-edge IP unified communications products for almost 20 years with the main focus of maximizing business productivity, efficiency and communication. It is committed to research and development, efficient manufacturing and adopting new technologies to deliver the best experience to the users.
MVComm today launches a new line of products to complete the “Full Networking Solution”, which includes Wi-Fi 6 equipment, Wi-Fi 6E Access Point, Wi-Fi Router, Wi-Fi Point to Point, Ethernet Router, Ethernet Switching, PoE Ethernet Switching and Cloud Device Management to develop an easy-to-provision, efficient, fast, ROI justified enterprise network.
Kiattikamol Sucondhamarn, Managing Director, MV Communications Co., Ltd. reveals that as the sole distributor, we are committed to driving Grandstream solutions along with our in-house end-to-end services including consulting, a long product warranty, equipment repair and maintenance service, and professional team throughout Thailand. All-in-one solution is ideal for organizations that are constantly changing and expanding, for example private organizations, educational institutes, hospitals, hotels and government agencies.
Ben Miall, Director of Sales, Oceania region at Grandstream Network Inc. is confident in MVComm team who understands market and focuses on the solution that address the customer needs for a long time. Ben describes the Grandstream Wireless Network (GWN) product line as consisting of indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi Access Points, Wi-Fi Routers, Ethernet Switching and Ethernet Routers. All work together to turn on a high-end network that unlock the bandwidth potential and enterprise Security. The cloud-based Grandstream Device Management System (GDMS) seamlessly connects and controls all devices with a single interface. The solution is equipped with a free license service for unlimited number of devices on Amazon AWS’s network. This keeps management costs down and renders flexibility in long-term network expansion.
Grandstream’s products are developed with a vision for comprehensive network devices, to provide administrators in small, medium, large organizations the ease of use and high-level management at lower cost, when compared to other brands at the same class.
About MV Communications
MV Communications Co., Ltd. was established in Thailand on the 27 June, 2000 and our Company is the leading and distributor for network equipment. MVComm has been appointed by leading global brand manufacturers Grandstream, Digital China Networks or DCN, RADWIN, FourFaith, Tonmind and Trendnet as distributors of networking equipment such as Voice over IP (VoIP), Wi-Fi Wireless LAN, Wireless Backhaul & Broadband Access, Ethernet Switching, Security Software and Mobile Broadband (GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSPA+) in Thailand.
As our leadership and much experience both of sales and technical support, we focus on the efficacious and effective services. Other that we have the qualified team from Customer service, Technical support, Sales and Marketing to professional management to provide you the reliable service because of our mission is to understand all customer requirements and provide the best solution. Visit www.mvcoms.com or Tel. 02-831-5300 or @salesmv
About Grandstream Networks Inc.
Grandstream has been connecting the world since 2002 with unified communications and networking solutions that make communicating more impactful than ever before. Our award-winning solutions provide everything needed to build a seamless, easy-to-manage communication platform, offering a one-stop-shop for all networking, unified communications, collaboration and physical security solutions. Headquartered in Boston, MA, USA, Grandstream solutions are used in over 150 countries and trusted by global enterprises and small business alike for their quality, reliability, and innovation.
Grandstream products are available through our established global distribution channels. We are a private corporation headquartered in Boston, MA USA with regional locations in Los Angeles, CA, Dallas, TX, China, Venezuela, Morocco, Malaysia, and Spain.
Police Chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas said Thursday it will be up to medical experts to rule whether marijuana smoking played a role in the mental problems of killed police inspector Pol Lt Col Kittikarn or not after the drug test resulted in the blood of Kittikarn, marijuana drugs were found in his body.
The remark was made after what appeared to be a marijuana bong was found close to the killed officer.
A marijuana bong was found close to the killed officer.
Later, the investigative officers found many marijuana briquettes and dried marijuana packed inside many jars in Kittikarn’s house. At the back of the house, there are two fresh marijuana plants.
The use of marijuana for recreational purposes came under attack anew with a prominent physician posted on Facebook Thursday saying it can cause mental illness and depression.
Smith Srisont, a physician at Ramathibodi Hospital and president Forensic Scientist Association wrote: “Stop saying cannabis is not related to mental illness.”
Smith added there are many medical researches supporting it.
The inspector Kittikarn turned gunman died at Wednesday night at Bhumibol Hospital, after he was shot six when commando police storm in.
Damrongsak said Kittikarn had a history of mental illness and been admitted to a Psychiatric Hospital in Chiang Mai although he recently passed a mental health test. He said more intense mental health screening will be introduced and those deemed at risk will not be permitted to carry firearms.
Kittikarn acted strangely while he was checking his Line app at office five days before the incident, said the police chief who added police “did their best” in trying to diffuse the situation.
In the worst mass killing case of Thailand in October 2022, an ex-police gunman who shot and stabbed 36 people, including 24 children, to death in Nong Bua Lamphu Province, was also involved in drug use.
Pol Maj Gen. Sermphan Sirikong, Phuket Provincial Police Commander, signed the order on Thursday, March 16, to remove five senior police officers from Patong Provincial Police Station for their recklessness after allowing the bar in Patong to provide underage girls as prostitutes to foreign customers.
The order came after special operation officers from the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) raided a bar called the Velvet on Wednesday night, located on Bangla Walking Street in Patong Beach, Kathu District, Phuket Province.
The NGOs, Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), had provided information to the law enforcement in Phuket before they cooperated, sending an undercover officer to collect evidence and make sure that people there had committedan offense of human trafficking.
Then they set up two teams for the operation: the first one went to arrest two females who were providing underage girls to the foreign customers, and the second team went to help the victims.
The two women, one the bar manager and the other an agent, faced serious charges, including human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation of children and opening a bar without permission.
The six underage girls, including the youngest, who is only 15 years old, are being sent to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for rehabilitation.
The O.U.R. Thailand Team focuses on supporting law enforcement during online and ground investigations and providing aftercare and follow up services for survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation after rescue so they can lead happy, healthy lives.
A famous dog in a market in Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi, stands up immediately when he hears the national anthem. It then loudly sings along with the anthem until it is finished. This behaviour has made the dog so popular with the locals.
Samnao Bealeum, 63, a lottery vendor who is the owner of the dog, Nomsod (meaning fresh milk), said an acquaintance of his left the dog at the beginning of 2022 to help take care of it. However, when he returned to collect the dog, it refused to go back with him.
The man then gave Nomsod to the lottery seller. Samnao said that he takes care of the dog like his child and takes it with him wherever he goes. That is why the dog is always with him when he sells the lottery at the market.
Every time Nomsod hears the national anthem, it will stand up and make a few sounds without whining like other dogs. However, when other songs are played, Nomsod does not react as it does to the national anthem.
This photo taken from video released on Thursday, March 16, 2023, shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes, over the Black Sea, the Pentagon said. (US Department of Defense via AP)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Pentagon on Thursday released footage of what it said was a Russian aircraft pouring fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone and clipping the drone’s propeller in international airspace over the Black Sea.
The 42-second video shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. Dumping the fuel appeared to be aimed at blinding its optical instruments and driving it out of the area’
On a second approach, either the same jet or another Russian fighter that had been shadowing the MQ-9 struck the drone’s propeller, damaging one blade, according to the U.S. military.
The U.S. military said it ditched the MQ-9 Reaper in the sea after what it described as the Russian fighter making an unsafe intercept of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
The video excerpt released by the Pentagon does not show events before or after the apparent fuel-dumping confrontation.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have spoken to their Russian counterparts about the destruction of the U.S. drone following the encounter with Russian fighter jets.
The calls with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov on Wednesday were the first since October.
While intercept attempts are not uncommon, the incident amid the war in Ukraine has raised concerns it could bring the United States and Russia closer to direct conflict.
That the two countries’ top defense and military leaders were talking so soon after the encounter over the Black Sea underscored its seriousness.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in its report of the call with Austin that Shoigu accused the U.S. of provoking the incident by ignoring flight restrictions the Kremlin had imposed because of its military operations in Ukraine.
Russia also blamed “the intensification of intelligence activities against the interests of the Russian Federation.”
The Pentagon has released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft conducting an unsafe intercept of a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone in international airspace over the Black Sea. (US Department of Defense via AP)
Such U.S. actions “are fraught with escalation of the situation in the Black Sea area,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, warning that Moscow “will respond in kind to all provocations.”
The MQ-9, which has a 66-foot (20-meter) wingspan, includes a ground control station and satellite equipment. It is capable of carrying munitions, but Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, would not say whether the ditched drone had been armed.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, said the incident occurred at 7:03 a.m. Central European time (0603 GMT; 2:03 a.m. EST) over international waters, and well clear of Ukraine, after the Russian jets had flown in the vicinity of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes.
There did not appear to be any communications between the aircraft before the collision, Ryder added.
The U.S. has not recovered the crashed drone, U.S. Air Forces-Europe said in a statement, and neither has Russia, Ryder said. Russian officials said Wednesday that they would try to salvage fragments of the MQ-9 from the Black Sea.
U.S. officials have left open the possibility of trying to recover portions of the downed $32 million drone, which they said crashed into waters that were 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 meters) deep.
Other U.S. officials said the U.S. does not have military ships in the region, and won’t likely seek to recover wreckage.
However, they expressed confidence that there would be nothing left of military value on the drone if Russia manages to retrieve the wreckage.
During the press conference “The 46th Lab Mueng Festival in 2023” at the Central Festival Chaing Mai Department Shop in Mueng District, Chiang Mai, two foreigners, one from the Netherlands and another from Guatemala, joined to taste the famous menu.
The Dutch tourist then surprised the crowd by preparing lab-moo, or spicy minced pork salad, before the two joined other members of the press to enjoy the meal of sticky rice in the form of “Gui Lab.” They told the reporters that they like Thai food because it is spicy and delicious.
‘Gui lab’ is a special technique of eating lab with sticky rice of the local people in the northern part of Thailand. The technique is to make the rice as roomy as possible so that one person can put as much lab as possible in the mouth.
Jaran Chaiwong, the festival’s president, said the festival will be held on April 6 to showcase local dishes and promote tourism before the Songkran festival begins. In Chiang Mai, it is traditional to eat lab as it is considered lucky and ‘lab’ has the same sound as ‘lucky’ in the Thai language.
There are 4 types of competitions at the festival: cooking lab [focus on taste], cooking lab [focus on entertainment], vegetable decoration and eating lab. The winner will receive THB 1,000 along with a golden chopping board, while the 3 honorary prizes will each receive THB 500.
If the festival is successful, it should be held annually on April 6.
