On 14 September 2018, Royal Thai Consulate-General in Vancouver organized Thailand Corner at Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) in Nanaimo, British Columbia.  To officially open the Thailand Corner, Mr. Nontawat Chandrtri, Consul-General of Thailand to Vancouver, gave welcoming remarks and jointly cut the ribbon with His Worship Bill McKay – Mayor of Nanaimo, Mr. Anthony Martin – Library Manager, Mr. Dale Lindsay – Director of Community Development, Mr. Chris Barfoot – Cultural Coordinator (on behalf of Mr. Chris Sholberg – Community & Cultural Planning), Ms. Rebecca Kirk – Board of Directors – Chair, Stakeholder Engagement at Nanaimo Deep Discovery Association – Ocean Discovery Centre and Mrs. Thipayakarn Chandrtri – spouse of Consul-General.  This was followed by the books presentation ceremony from the Consul-General to Mr. Anthony Martin, who represented the Library. 

 

          Activities during the Thailand Corner comprised the following 1) the display of books on various aspects of Thailand such as Thai novel, Thai boxing or Muay Thai, Thai cuisine, Thai architecture, and children tales about Thailand  2) the display of Thai products and handicrafts 3) the demonstration video on Thai dessert  4) the demonstration on Thai cooking (Papaya Salad)  5) the exhibit on Thai tourism  6) the tasting session of Thai food (Fish Cake, Nam-Prik-Ong and Papaya Salad)  7) the Thai musical instrument performance and 8) the Q&A session about Thailand. 

 

          The Royal Thai Consulate-General initiated the project of Thailand Corner in 2015.  At present, 13 Thailand Corners have already been successfully established in various major cities and universities of British Columbia and Alberta, including the latest one at Vancouver Island Regional Library this September.

 

          On this occasion, the Consul-General also met with the Thai community who live in Nanaimo and nearby cities to exchange views on their well-being and the promotion of their roles and status in the communities.