BANGKOK:- Amara Rai, a fifth-generation Thai-born Nepali, has been elected as the chairperson of the Association of Nepali Origin (ANO) Thailand Committee.

A program organized in Bangkok on Sunday afternoon, March 29, was attended by Nepalese who were born in Thailand and have been living in Thailand and Burma for generations.

At the event, which was completed in three phases including discussions with local Nepalis, Nepali cultural performances, and committee formation, Nepali Ambassador to Thailand Dhan Bahadur Oli expressed confidence that ANO’s campaign to pass on Nepali art, culture, language, and traditions to people of Nepali origin would bring positive results. He suggested taking forward the work of Nepali language and culture in collaboration with local-level Nepali organizations.

At the event, ANO General Secretary Chudamani Bhattarai, accepting ANO’s request, informed that the Nepal government has made arrangements so that no person of Nepali origin will have to wait in the queue of foreigners at the airport when traveling to Nepal.

Bhattarai thanked the Government of Nepal for making separate arrangements for Nepalese people around the world so that they do not have to wait in lines for foreigners upon reaching their ancestral homeland. The program discussed the first time in history that the government had addressed foreign citizens of Nepali origin.

At the program, California State University professor Dr. Mohan Dangi said that he was touched by the agenda of expanding Nepaliness. Dr. Khagendra Dhakal, president of the Nepal Policy Institute, who teaches in Bangkok, expressed happiness that ANO has come as an organization to include Nepalis outside the three-generation Non-Resident Nepali Association. Binod Lamichhane, vice-president of the Thai Nepali Association, felt that it would have been better if there had been prior information about the program.

In the program, which was attended by Bhabindra Basnet, Deputy Chief of the Asia Pacific Region of the Non-Resident Nepali Association, and Professor Bharati Limbuni, artists from Thailand and Burma, who participated in seasons one and two of My Voice Universe and Dance Universe, gave performances that reflected the memory of their homeland Nepal and the pride of being of Nepali origin.

The ANO Thailand National Committee, led by Rai, formed in the presence of ANO Board of Trustees member Vatsana Rai and Central Executive Committee member Raj Karmacharya, includes Milan Ghimire, Naresh Pandey, Sonia Rai, Amy Rai, Basanti Pradhan, Deepa Poudel, Asmita Neupane, Suman Karki and Vicky Senchuri.