Foreign Media Accreditation Guidelines for the Three-day Royal Coronation of King Rama X to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 4 - 6 May 2019 The Coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun is scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 4 – 6 May 2019. On 4 May 2019, His Majesty the King grants a grand audience to members of the Royal Family, the Privy Council, and the Cabinet, as well as senior officials, who will offer their best wishes to His Majesty. On 5 May 2019, a ceremony to bestow His Majesty's Royal Cypher and Royal Title and to grant the royal ranks to members of royalty will take place. Later, His Majesty the King will travel in the royal procession by land around the city. On 6 May 2019, His Majesty the King will appear on a balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace to grant a grand public audience to the general public, so that they may offer their best wishes to His Majesty. He will later grant an audience to members of the international diplomatic corps, who will offer their felicitations on this special occasion at Chakri Maha Prasad Throne Hall. On this Auspicious occasion, the Public Relations Department (PRD) of the Royal Thai Government issued media accreditation guidelines for members of foreign media who are not based in Thailand and wish to cover the Coronation of King Rama X. The media are required to register for both a “PRD Press Card” and a “Special Press Card” that will be issued by the PRD. The PRD Press Card and the Special Press Card grant access to only the Media Centre for the Coronation of King Rama X, which will be located at the Main Auditorium of Thammasat University, The Prachan Campus, Bangkok, and open during 27 April – 6 May 2019. To acquire the PRD Press Card and the Special Press Card, the media are advised to follow the guidelines provided on the PRD’s website (https://thailand.prd.go.th/ewt_news.php?nid=7700). In addition to the PRD Press Card and the Special Press Card, members of the media who wish to take video footage or photos of the ceremonies on 5 and 6 May 2019 are further required to register for specific camera platforms located around the venue. The “Stand Selection” form and venue layouts are also available on the abovementioned PRD website. The foreign media are advised that queries regarding the foreign media registration be directed to the Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, at e-mail: information03@mfa.go.th or online query form: https://bit.ly/2Hnbax3 ----------------------------

In accordance to the Ministerial Regulation of the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Thailand dated 10 January 2019, Thailand will implement a temporary Visa on Arrival (VoA) fee exemption scheme, starting from 14 January 2019 to 30 April 2019.

On 8 December 2018, the Royal Thai Embassy in Pretoria, led by H.E. Mr. Komate Kamalanavin, Ambassador of Thailand to the Republic of South Africa, joined other 20 Embassies accredited to South Africa in the Annual Diplomatic Funfair 2018 organized by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) at Pretoria Pioneer Museum.