THE WEEK AHEAD
MONDAY
Today is International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance, a day close to the hearts of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, and a lot of very high-ranking officials will express sympathy. It’s worth noting that since Islamic State were chased last Sunday from the Palmyra ruins they trashed, more than 150 mines have been found. There are elections today in India’s West Bengal, although not in Thailand. It’s the last week of the 44th National Book Fair and 14th Bangkok International Book Fair 2016 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. The fairs close down next Sunday. The US and Philippines begin Balikatan 2016, the second biggest war games in Southeast Asia after Cobra Gold. Much of the 12-day, bilateral military exercise will take place in the Palawan region, close to the disputed Spratly Islands group.
TUESDAY
Khon Kaen begins Songkran today along Sichan Road. Yes, really. For some, Songkran simply can’t be long enough. A full Thai team headed by world No 5 and Thailand’s amateur athlete of the year Ratchanok Intanon begin play today at the Malaysian Open of badminton at Kuala Lumpur. The finals are on Sunday. The Champions League quarter-final round starts late tonight (early tomorrow to be exact) with Bayern Munich hosting Benfica and Barcelona playing Atletico Madrid. Kickoff is at 2.45am. At the same time tomorrow, Manchester City travel to play at Paris St-Germain while Wolfsburg and Real Madrid tangle at the Volkswagen Arena. The top two US university teams play for the “March Madness” basketball title this morning on US sports pay-TV channels.
WEDNESDAY
Enjoy the holiday. After today, there will not be another public holiday in Thailand for an entire six days. As of today, every dog eight weeks or older must be microchipped and must be entered into state records and dog-owners’ databases. This is not an April Fool’s leftover, it’s the law in Britain. Amnesty International will issue its annual death penalty report and finger-wag this evening. Holland has a referendum today (unlike Thailand) on whether to back the EU’s cooperation with Ukraine. It is actually a confidence vote on the EU. Two journalists and three Holy See whistleblowers go on trial at The Vatican for allegedly leaking and publishing classified information about the Roman Catholic Church.
THURSDAY
The first major of the year, The Masters, begins tonight in the US state of Georgia. There are just 89 golfers, including Lop Buri veteran Thongchai Jaidee and Bangkok’s rising star, Kiradech Aphibarnrat. The week-long Chon Buri Annual Festival begins today in front of the provincial hall. Officially, the festival pays tribute to the province’s Phra Phutthasihing image. Unofficially, it’s an extended Songkran celebration with a beauty contest, water tossing, etc. Vietnam’s rubber-stamp National Assembly will officially approve today the Communist Party’s decision to elevate Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to be prime minister for the next five years.
FRIDAY
It is World Health Day. Best you don’t breathe for the day, just to be sure. For reasons known to someone, Phuket’s Bike Week begins today in town and at Patong Beach, to coincide with Songkran. It assures thousands of bike riders a full nine days of fun, beauty contests, island tours and getting ice water thrown on you without warning. The two-day Mon “retro” New Year celebrations begin today at Pathum Thani. The traditional dress is what makes it different from Songkran. A full weekend of Rugby Sevens begins at the mother lode of rugby sevens tournaments, in Hong Kong, which is very interesting to all rugby sevens fans.
SATURDAY
It is now officially pre-Songkran everywhere, so the country can show its respect to water conservation because of the drought. Somewhere in Thailand there may be a place without water-tossing but really big celebrations begin today in Tak and Phitsanulok. The British Conservative Party will hold a conference and New York state voters will give their preference about candidates. No political party or election will interrupt the return of happiness to Thailand. Chadians and Peruvians have been approved as mature enough to vote for presidents tomorrow; Thais have more malls, though. The 7th Thailand Auto Parts and Accessories trade expo is on tomorrow at the Department of International Trade Promotion. The theme is greenness.