Siamese tourists from Malaysia in Narathiwat
A group of 70 Siamese tourists from Kelantan, Malaysia, are seen in Narathiwat on Friday, where they paid respect to Phra Buddha Taksin Mingmongkol - the largest seated Buddha image in the South.
The 24-metre-high and 17-metre-wide Buddha image is located in Muang district, Narathiwat.
They made a visit under Narathiwat's initiative to promote the relationship of Thais and the "Siamese" people in Kelantan. In the first year, aside from the Buddha image, several venues were selected for the cultural trip.
Kelantan, a state of Malaysia, is positioned in the north-east of Peninsular Malaysia. It is bordered by Narathiwat of Thailand to the north, Terengganu to the south-east, Perak to the west, and Pahang to the south. To the north-east of Kelantan is the South China Sea. The state, once under the old Siamese empire, became part of the Federation of Malaya on February 1, 1948, and together with other states attained independence on August 31, 1957. On September 16, 1963, Kelantan became one of the component states of Malaysia.
Though becoming Malaysian citizens, these people still call themselves "Siamese" and still maintain relationship with Thai relatives in Thailand.
