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Silk shirts to grace APEC photo
Mark Hollands for CNN
(CNN) -- No gathering of APEC leaders is complete without the traditional photo opportunity featuring shirts designed in the host country's traditional style. When 21 APEC heads of state and government gather in Bangkok from October 19, Thailand's contribution to the bright-shirt tradition will come in the form of special Thai silk embroidered with pure silver thread. More than 100 villagers from Ban Tha Sawang, in the Muang Surin district, will tailor 21 reams of the special silk to make the shirts, and another 13 for shawls. The design features mythical animals or local flora. The APEC forum gives Thailand a rare opportunity to bask in the limelight of global media attention – and this predominantly Buddhist nation is not going to miss its opportunity to impress and bolster its tourism industry. Thailand has suffered a 19 per cent fall in visitors this year because of fears of terror and the SARS outbreak in neighboring countries Singapore and Hong Kong. When it comes to spectacle and splendor, few nations are able to match the celebrations being organized in Thailand. The social highlight of the forum will be a light and sound show featuring 50 royal Thai barges with more than 2000 oarsmen on October 20. It will be the first time a procession of Thailand's royal barges will be held at night. World leaders and 600 guests will watch the spectacular against a backdrop of an illuminated royal palace and giant waterfalls flowing into Thailand's "River of Kings". The procession will be a major test for Thai security officials, as well as those agents who will fly in with their respective leaders. US security personnel, who will reportedly number more than 2,000, will be among those who will line the riverbanks during the procession. Maps of drainage systems and tributaries have already been handed over by Thai officials to U.S. security staff to help ensure every precaution is taken. Two rehearsals for the grand procession are due to be held in the weeks leading up to the opening of the forum. All APEC leaders will gather for the welcoming ceremony to be hosted by the King and Queen of Thailand in the historic Ananda Samakom Throne Hall, which was built in 1907 by Italian and Thai craftsmen. Concern has been expressed about the potential for damage to its ornate Italian marble and stonework. A special raised floor is being constructed in the hall, which is rarely opened to the public, to hide the cables required for eight translators' booths at the welcoming ceremony. Thai authorities have also been quick to hide other elements of their city. Streets are being cleared of vendors selling counterfeit goods, hawkers of all varieties and children who pester tourists in an effort to sell over-priced chewing gum. Well-known areas of prostitution, such as Bangkok's Patpong Rd, are also being cleaned up and sex workers taken off the streets. Bangkok residents are being bombarded with messages from the government about how they should behave while the APEC circus is in town. Everyone is being encouraged to be generous with the famous Thai smile that has helped lure tourists to the country for decades. Giant billboards are being erected at the airport and along Bangkok's main roads to increase awareness of the event. The city's tallest building, Baiyoke Tower, will be cloaked on all four sides with banners promoting the APEC summit.
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