More than 300 Thai children living in Jeddah and Makkah took part in celebrations marking the National Children's Day at their country's Consulate General on Thursday. Left: Thai Consul General Chalee Sakolvari inaugurates the celebrations. — Courtesy photos Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — The Thai Consulate General, in cooperation with the Thai community in western Saudi Arabia, organized a National Children's Day at the consulate premises on Thursday. Approximately 300 children living in Jeddah and Makkah participated. “Children are the future of our nation and the young are in the hands of older people who should be good role models and know how to take care of them because the children will automatically learn from older people and adopt their behavior. Therefore, it is also the older people who are responsible for the country's future,” Thai Consul General Chalee Sakolvari said in his opening remarks. Children participated in various games, including tug of war, musical chairs and sack race, and exchanged gifts among themselves. They also enjoyed the food and drink prepared by the consulate staff and other members of the Thai community. The National Children's Day, marked on the second Saturday of every January, is an annual event in Thailand to acknowledge the rights of children. Parliament opens for children to visit on this day. Children get an opportunity to sit on the prime minister's chair as well as to learn about Thai democracy. Other government bodies, such as the Royal Thai Air Force and the Royal Thai Army, also welcome children on the day. The theme chosen by the Thai prime minister for the 2013 Children's Day was “Be Disciplined, Enhance Knowledge, and Bring Thailand toward ASEAN.”
