Southerners flock to Yala city pillar celebrations

Southerners flock to Yala city pillar celebrations

Residents and visitors come together at an annual festival, while boosting the local economy By Mongkol Bangprapa

in good spirits: Performers perform Thai traditional dance in front of the Yala City Pillar Shrine at an event to mark the 56-year anniversary of the pillar and a Red Cross fair, which runs from May 25 to tomorrow.
in good spirits: Performers perform Thai traditional dance in front of the Yala City Pillar Shrine at an event to mark the 56-year anniversary of the pillar and a Red Cross fair, which runs from May 25 to tomorrow.

The fanfare at an ongoing festival in the capital district of Yala province shows residents are ready to put aside their safety fears and simply have fun in the insurgency-plagued South.

Over the past week, locals have been celebrating the 56th anniversary of the Yala City Pillar's installation and the Red Cross Fair, which will run until tomorrow.

The festival has several activities, including games and parades, bringing together people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, including Muslims, Buddhists and Thais of Chinese descent.

Other sights included organised processions of people arriving from eight districts across the province. A beauty pageant and singing contest were also held nightly. On the last day, people could participate in a lucky draw, with prizes including cars and gold necklaces.

Outsiders tend to think of Yala as a strife-torn province due to the ongoing insurgency, but many locals still consider it a livable place.

"Some of the incidents in the past [in Yala] were not linked to security issues," said Yala governor Anuchit Trakulmuthuta, noting many cases were connected with personal conflicts and reprisals for drug issues, which are likely to arise just as often in other provinces.

Mr Anuchit presided over the opening ceremony of the festival, which has been held every year since 1962.

The event offers residents and visitors from nearby provinces a fun experience, while boosting local tourism.

Although the festival has ran smoothly this year, security officers are still on guard. Police and military officers, as well as volunteers, kamnans and village headmen could be seen at checkpoints leading to the festival site.

During the religious ceremony to worship the city pillar last Friday, nine monks were invited to chant prayers while a replica of the city pillar was also placed on a chariot and paraded around the city for people's blessings.

The construction of the city pillar was initiated by former Yala governor Siri Kotchahiran. The groundbreaking ceremony for the pillar installation took place on Nov 21, 1962.

Kledkaew Banlunusorn, a 78-year-old resident in Betong district who attended the festival, brought some religious items back home with her. She took orange juice and dragon fruits to take part in the ceremony.

"This year, provincial officers managed the event well," Ms Kledkaew said. "Officers distributed worship items throughout the venue."

Alongside its rich culture, Yala has recently started to promote its agricultural products like durian to boost the local economy.

The provincial governor has recently approved a 150,000-baht budget to encourage farmers to expand 1,200 rai of farmland for durian trees, mostly in Betong and Than To districts.

There are currently 50,000 rai of durian orchards in the province.

According to Somchok na Nakhon, director of Yala Agricultural Extension Office, about 1,000 saplings of "Musang King" durian trees will be given to farmers in order to compete with growers in foreign countries. This type of durian has grown in popularity in Malaysia and Singapore over recent years.

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