Assam village with Thailand links host Thai princess

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thaliand,an eminent scholar of Oriental epigraphy and a scholar of Pali and Sanskrit languages,who arrived on a three-day visit to Assam on Monday,visited the historic village of Namphake,which is inhabited by the Tai-Phake community whose roots are traced to Thailand.

The Princess,who arrived at Dibrugarh on Monday,flew to the Namphake village by a helicopter,where she spent a couple of hours interacting with the villagers who speak a language quite close to Thai. She also offered prayers at the local Buddhist monastery after being accorded a traditional welcome by the village elders.

She later flew to Jorhat,where she was once again received in a traditional manner by people of another village of Thai origin. The Princess is visiting the Tocklai Tea Research Station and the Regional Research Laboratory at Jorhat on Tuesday and then proceeded to Kaziranga National park,where she will take an elephant safari on Wednesday morning before flying back to New Delhi.