PHUKET: His Majesty the King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Her Majesty the Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana will lead two official ceremonies while in Phuket on Her Majesty’s birthday this Saturday (June 3).
During their visit, Their Majesties will officiate the formal opening of the new Phuket Provincial Hall located at the Phuket Provincial Administration Center on Tha Kraeng Rd on the south side of Phuket Town at 5pm on Saturday.
They will also officiate the setting of the foundation stone of the building that is to become the Office of the Court of Appeal Region 8.
Confirmation of Their Majesties performing official duties while in Phuket came via a post by the Phuket Info Center, operated under the Phuket office of the Ministry of Interior, at 6pm last night.
The post was an official invitation for the public to join the events. Pre-registration with Phuket City Municipality by tomorrow (June 1) is required. People are asked to dress appropriately for the occasion.
No details explaining that Their Majesties would be performing official duties while in Phuket were made public when the royal visit was announced by Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan last week.
Coinciding with the royal visit and Her Majesty’s birthday is the major Buddhist holiday Visakha Bucha on Saturday, which in itself will invoke a nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol for the 24 hours of this Saturday, starting at midnight Friday night.
Anyone caught breaking the ban faces up to six months in jail or a B10,000 fine, or both.
As Her Majesty’s birthday and Visakha Bucha are both national public holidays, with the auspicious occasions occurring this Saturday, next Monday (June 5) will be observed as the substitution public holiday.
All government offices including Immigration, District Offices and the local Department of Land Transportation office will all be closed on Saturday and next Monday.
