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The Bangkok Post, a daily broadsheet with a circulation of 100,000 copies is the larger of two English dailies in Thailand. Its weekly World Travel section focuses mainly on its internal tourist industry with some smaller articles about the regional holiday spots, including Europe and North America.
Newspapers and magazines in Southeast Asia are not commonly known for articles or news stories relating to countries within the Caribbean region.
Therefore, the half page spread on Guyana was unusual and one that was thought stimulating to readers.
The article that highlighted Guyana was accompanied by a 9" X 6 " colour photograph and written by Bernd Kubisch.
It showed 74-year-old Ms. Diane McTurk at her Karanambo lodge holding an Otter or Water Dog, an animal familiar to Thailand's waterways and goes by the Thai name of Nag.
The expression of joy on Ms. McTurk's face and the fact that she looked half her age caused readers to ask if she had discovered the fountain of youth along with El Dorado's gold.
The description of an aspect of Guyana's beauty by Kubisch prompted a series of telephone calls to this writer's home.
Most of the callers were referred by the Bangkok Post and had no prior knowledge of the existence of Guyana.
Some of them spoke little English and wanted to know if the climate in Guyana was tropical. They were surprised to learn of the similarity of fruits and vegetables and the fact that the Victoria Regia Lily that adorns the private ponds of the most affluent Thais and some members of the Thai Royal family originated from Guyana.
Recent awareness of Guyana as a global neighbour resulted from a series of university lectures on Guyana and the role of the development of Steelbands in Guyana by this writer, coupled with Bernd Kubisch's article in the Bangkok Post prompted positive action by a Thai national.
Thai writer and researcher, Onpapa Wantaya is considering setting up an information resource centre Website in the Thai language along with a hotline for Thais and other Southeast Asian nationals seeking information on or about Guyana as a place to explore the beauty of South American flora and fauna.
There is also talk at the grass roots level of a student exchange programme in the field of agriculture and Information Technology between the two countries.