Thousands attend yoga event across South East Asia

Thousands of yoga enthusiasts including foreigners gathered on Sunday at open grounds across Southeast Asia to take part in the Second International Yoga Day attended by senior government officials and celebrities.

In Thailand, around 6,000 people performed yoga at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University, in the heart of Thai capital Bangkok. Most of the participants were Thai, but there were also many foreigners. The participants also included students and yoga enthusiasts.

A group of specially-abled participants, sponsored by deaf association of Thailand also took part in the event.

Kobkarn Wattan-avrangkul, minister of tourism and sports of Thailand; Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi, India’s ambassador to Thailand; Pomthong Malakul, vice-president for academic affairs of Chulalongkorn University; and Yada Theppanom, Miss grand Thailand 2013, inaugurated the event.

Video messages on the occasion of second International Yoga Day from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj were shown to the participants.

At least 150 people also participated in a yoga Session at Hat Yai in Songkla province.

In Singapore, Indian high commissioner Vijay Thakur Singh led more than 4,000 multi-ethnic Singaporeans, diplomatic representatives and migrant construction workers for a 90-minute grand yoga session Sunday morning.

“We have had one of the biggest yoga gathering this year,” said Mr Thakur. The sessionclosed the week-long yoga sessions being held since June 19.