• Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand (Prathet Thai, or ‘Land of the Free’), lies in Southeast Asia. It is bordered on the west and northwest by Myan­mar (formerly Burma); on the northeast and east by Laos and Cam­bo­dia; and on the south by the Gulf of Thailand (the north­western portion of the South China Sea), pen­in­sular Malaysia, and the An­da­man Sea.

With an area of 513,115 sq km and a population of a­bout 65 million, the country is similar to France. Its dis­tinctive shape is often com­pared to an elephant's head. This un­usual shape means that Thai­land is more than twice as long from north to south (1,770km) as it is wide from east to west (800km). The coun­try as a whole pivots around the Gulf of Thailand. Thailand has a long and intricate coast­line measuring 3,200 km.

Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been occupied by any European or other foreign power, except in war. The country was an absolute monarchy from 1782 until 1932, when a constitutional monarchy was established. Since then, Thailand has come under the rule of many governments, both civil and military. The country was known as Siam until 1939 (when it was renamed Thailand), and again for a few years in the late 1940s. In 1949 the name Thailand was adopted a second time.

Thai people form the large majority of Thailand’s population; they speak standard Thai, and most of them practice Theravada Bud­dhism. Other ethnic groups within the population include Chinese, Malays, and indigenous hill people.

Thailand is known for its highly refined classical music and dance and for a wide range of folk arts.

 • Bangkok

	Wat Phra Kaeo temple

Bangkok, located on the Chao Phraya river is Thailand’s capital and largest city, an administrative, economic, and cultural center, and a major commercial and transportation center of Southeast Asia. The Thai refer to Bangkok as Krung Thep, which means City of Angels. Euro­peans once called the city the Venice of the East because it had numerous canals, most of which have now been filled and made into roads.

Bangkok Metropolis, has an area of 1,569 sq km and extends for more than 32 km in all directions. In 2000, its population was estimated at 6.3 m, or 8.6 m with the surrounding provinces.

As Thailand’s main port, Bangkok has always been more cos­mo­pol­i­tan than other regions of the country. Thousands of Chinese im­mi­grants came to Bangkok during the 19th century and until World War II but incentives and sanctions encouraged the rapid assimilation of the im­mi­grants. Today the city’s population is overwhelmingly Thai, with significant minorities of Chi­nese, Indians, Arabs, Malays, Europeans, and Americans. In ad­di­tion to Thai, English is widely employed in Bangkok. It is taught in secondary schools and in colleges and universities, and used ex­ten­sive­ly in the important tourism industry.

Bangkok suffers from many urban ills, like traffic congestion, crowded living conditions and chronic pollution. In recent years progress has been made: in 1999, Skytrain, a monorail system began operating on elevated rail lines, while, in 2004, the first line of a new subway system began running under central Bangkok.

Bangkok is a major tourist at­traction, with the oldest quarters most widely visited. The roy­al Grand Pal­ace, with its associated Wat Phra Kaeo (Emerald Bud­dha), is ad­mir­ed for its well-maintained 19th-century architecture. Nearby are many Buddhist temples (wat), including especially Wat Pho, home of a massive statue of the reclining Buddha. Also nearby is the enormous open field (Sanam Luang) where special royal ceremonies are held, including the cremations of royalty and the annual Ploughing Ceremony, which inaugurates the rice-planting season.

 • Venue - Accommodation

The venue of the championships is Bangkok’s Baiyoke Sky Hotel. Rising 88 floors above the city’s skyline, this 4-star hotel is Thailand’s tallest building and rep­re­sents a genuine landmark of the country. The Baiyoke Sky Hotel, strategically located in the heart of down­town Bangkok, is surrounded by more than 1,000 garment shops and entertainment attractions. The hotel facilities include a swimming pool, health and fitness club, and 24 hours room service. All rooms are large, air-conditioned and equipped with safety de­pos­it box, direct dial telephone, radio, color satellite TV, refrigerator, mini bar, tea & coffee making facilities, etc. All teams, officials and accompanying guests will be lodged under the same roof, at the venue hotel. Special rates have been negotiated for the championships, amounting to $79 per person per night in a double room, $94 in a single room and $73 per person in a 3-bedded room. These rates include full-board, with all meals served at the hotel’s impressive buffet. In addition, the cost of the (opening and closing) ceremonies and a full-day outing to visit some of Bangkok’s main tourist attractions is also included. Rooms need to be reserved and paid in advance. Res­er­va­tions must be made at the hotel’s website on Internet. A 30% of the total cost must be deposited by 28 April 2006, a further 40% by 29 May 2006, and the final 30% by 20 July 2006. When booking, teams are required to declare that they belong to the ‘world bridge’ group. Teams following these instructions and having all their members residing in the venue hotel for the entire duration of the championships will be entitled to a substantial reduction of the entry fee. Free transportation from Bangkok airport to the hotel and vice versa upon arrival and departure will be provided to all players, team officials and accompanying guests who have complied with the above procedure and provided adequate details of their travel arrangements in advance.

IMPORTANT NOTICE An agreement has been made with the Baiyoke Sky Hotel to host the championships and provide all necessary facilities for its comfortable running. The cost of these facilities has been integrated together with the (opening and closing) ceremonies, a full-day outing to tourist at­trac­tions, transfers from/to the airport, and all meals, into a package that is available to all participants, officials, accompanying guests, etc. The WBF Youth Committee expects all members of the various del­e­ga­tions to be part of this arrangement, thus supporting the organization of the championship. To effect this, it is imperative that delegations declare that they are part of the ‘world bridge’ group when they make their room reservations at the Bayioke Sky Hotel. All delegations complying with this request will be granted a $2,000 reduction on the team’s entry fee. This reduction will be restricted to teams whose all members (players, officials, guests) book their rooms as members of the ‘world bridge’ group for the entire duration of the championships. The hotel will provide a certificate to this effect.

Venue       BAIYOKE SKY HOTEL Pratunam, 222 Rajprarop Road, Rajthevee, Bangkok 10400, Thailand   Contact Information   +66 (0) 2656 3000   baiyokesky@baiyoke.co.th   www.baiyokehotel.com