A week-long exhibition was opened on a high note at the popular Central Plaza in Chiang Rai on August 29 in the evening. Under the guidance of Guy Heidelberger, Director of Alliance Francaise and French Honorary Consul in Chiang Rai, the impressive documentary “Mekong” exhibition needed a night-long preparation time to display all the photographs and accompanied captions, maps and other necessary information. Some voluntary helpers were on stand by to make sure that the exhibition will be a sounding success.      

The ribbing cutting ceremony was done by Achan Nakorn Pongnoi, Director of the Royal Foundation Rai Mae Fah Luang. Also, a guest of honor was Rebecca Weldon, Convener of the Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG), who is an outstanding expert on museums in the northern part of Thailand. “It’s a shame that less and less tour groups visit museums when traveling in Northern Thailand,” she explained. That was one of the reasons, why the “Mekong” exhibition was chosen to be held at the shopping mall to reach as much people as possible in Chiang Rai and surroundings.         

After a traditional musical performance of some colorful dancers from the Mae Fah Luang University, there was a VIP tour through the exhibition, which mainly highlights 72 photographs done by expatriate Reinhard Hohler from Chiang Mai, featuring the landscapes and scenery seen during an expedition in November 2002, which started in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan/China, passing through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, before ending in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.

The exhibition – first sponsored by the German Embassy in Bangkok - includes photos marking the group’s visit to the gravesite of the famous French explorer Henri Mouhot in Luang Prabang, the transfer of the group’s hovercraft around the scenic Khone Falls on the Lao-Cambodia border, as well as a side trip to the ruins of Angkor in Cambodia and Oc Eo in Viet Nam.

Actually, the unique collection of photos, supplemented by some more art works, is featuring the Mekong River, the longest river in Southeast Asia, which is more and more threatened by the building of dams and industrial development schemes. The river should be protected accordingly. Please note that the exhibition ends on September 4.

Finally, there a plans to bring the exhibition about the “Mysterious Mekong” to the campus of Chiang Mai University in Chiang Mai.

For further information, please contact Reinhard Hohler, based in Chiang Mai/Thailand, by e-mail.