Putting the boot in for a good cause

PHUKET CITY: Thai Cabinet ministers led by freshly reelected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will face ambassadors from 38 countries during a friendly soccer match at Surakul Stadium on February 26.

The event is intended to help Phuket recover as a tourist destination after the tsunami.

Admission is free, and the match is due to be broadcast nationwide by Thai TV station TV5.

The match will be preceded by a parade of Thais and foreigners who have helped in the relief effort.

Deputy Governor Vitchan Busapavanich told the Gazette today there are also plans to hold a beach volleyball competition, featuring Thai men’s and women’s national teams, at Patong, again as part of attempts to promote Phuket as a tourism destination.