(20-1-2026,Chiang Mai)
Consul-General U Ming Kyaw Linn of the Consulate-General of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar served as a panelist at the Special Forum on Connecting Cultural Food Tourism Routes in the Mekong Subregion Countries: China, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, held on January 18, 2026, at the Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center. The forum was organized through collaboration among the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand, Maejo University, and the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Chiang Mai. The forum aimed to explore innovative approaches to developing sustainable tourism and to promote cooperation among Lancang–Mekong countries.
Along with the Consul-General, Mr. Boonlue Thamtharanurak, Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai Province, as well as representatives from the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Chiang Mai and the Embassy of the Lao PDR in Bangkok, also served as panelists. The forum was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, as well as representatives from the tourism and food industries, businesspersons, and other interested participants.
At the forum, the Consul-General discussed the importance of food in diplomacy throughout world history and responded to questions regarding measures that countries such as China and Laos, and Myanmar and Thailand—which share similarities in their cuisines—should take to preserve indigenous ingredients and protect and promote traditional cooking methods without losing their original identity in today’s rapidly changing world of cultural exchange and communication. He also suggested measures to develop food tourism as a sustainable source of income to support the socio-economic development of local communities.
