Lao National Television-English News Program
VO Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn arrives in Vientiane for an official visit to Laos from the 30th of June to the 1st of July
INTRO: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand arrived in Vientiane on Tuesday morning to make a two-day official working visit to Laos from the 30th of June to the 1st of July. President Choummaly Sayasone praised and highly valued the visit to Laos by Her Royal Highness as a contribution to further strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Laos and Thailand.
INTRO: Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand arrived in Laos' Vientiane capital on Tuesday morning the 30th of June for a two-day official visit to Laos from the 30th of June to the 1st of July -31st. Her Majesty began her visit from Vientiane then to the first World heritage town of Laos Luangprabang respectively
Upon her arrival in Wattay International airport in Vientaine capital, Her Majesty Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn received very warm welcome by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Madame Sounthone Sayachack , Ambassador of Lao PDR Ly Bounkham, officials and local residence
The Thai Princess begans her visit by visiting Wat Sisaket in Vientiane where is one of the most important temples in Laos and known as the only temple that survived the Siamese occupation that destroyed Vientiane in 1828. It was restored in 1924 and subsequently in 1930. Wat Sisaket was built in 1818 by King Anouvong, the last King of the Lao Lane Xang Kingdom. Wat Sisaket remains the oldest temple in Vientiane. The temple is famous for its cloister wall housing thousands of tiny Buddha images and rows with hundreds of seated Buddhas.
After that, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand led her student from Royal Military Academy visiting That Luang, or the Great Stupa where is a national symbol and also the most sacred monument in the country. From the outside That Luang looks more like a fortress surrounded by high walls and it features two temples with the main stupa, the top of which is covered with gold leaf, standing 148 feet tall. The beautiful architecture is in Lao style, influenced by Buddhist beliefs – these include finely-gilded, red-lacquer doors, pointed lesser stupas, many Buddha images and beautiful flower and animal images.
Her Royal Highness later, visited the Lao People’s Army History Museum. Established in 1976, the museum contains weapons, tools, and photos of the Lao People’s Army during the revolutionary period from 1950 until the liberation for independence of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 1975. Inside, a short documentary can be viewed about important key historical events of Laos. They have a display of statues of Lao leaders, heroes, and other important figures in Lao history. Their permanent gallery tells the ordinary and extraordinary stories of the soldiers and Lao people that served in Lao armies.
Her Royal Highness after that visited the Electricite du Laos (EDL), it is the state corporation of Laos that owns and operates the country's electricity generation, electricity transmission and electricity distributionassets. The company also manages the import and export of electricity from thenational electricity grid of the country. EDL was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Vientiane.
After the field visit, Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn then paid a courtesy visit to President Choummaly Sayasone at the Presidential Palace
At the talk President Choummaly welcome the Princess, Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn saying he highly appreciated for the contribution through development projects that have been actively implementing in the country
It is recorded that, Laos and Thailand have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields, with Thailand pledging support for regional connectivity and infrastructure development in Laos. The increasingly fruitful cooperation of Laos and Thailand has also contributed significantly to the enhancing of friendly and longstanding cooperation between the two neighbors
For her part, The Princess also said that, Thailand has reiterated its commitment to further enhancing and strengthening long-standing bilateral relations with Lao PDR.
President Choummaly Sayasone also wished the Princess and her delegation success with their visit to Laos.
Her Royal Highness after that attended the welcome reception hosted by Minister of Information Culture and Tourism Borsengkham Vongdara who is also President of the Lao-Thai Friendship Associations,
According to a senior of official, since 2012, her Royal highness made her visit Laos particularly to the Houaysone-Houyasoua Agricultural Development and Service Project in Nayang village in Naxaithong district, Vientiane capital. The project, supported by Her Majesty's Xaipatthana Foundation since 1994, undertakes agricultural research and provides services of all kinds to farmers, including technical expertise for animal breeders.
The projects is expected to contribute towards the government's national socio-economic development plans, which incorporate the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, and aim to lift Laos from the UN's list of least developed countries by 2020.
Her Royal Highness left Vientiane in the afternoon for Luangprabang Province, where she visited several places.