Bangkok, November 05 (NEPS): Over seven hundred participants from seventy countries attended in the opening ceremony of the biggest MuayThai event on earth here at Mall Convention Center Hall on Friday.

One of the most striking features of today's opening was each female fighter of every country was allowed to wear their countries' traditional attires. In his message, Dr Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand said MuayThai was "made" in Thailand but had spread across the "globe" and was practised now in all five continents.

He said the event would nurse some 70 countries to come closer together to honor and cheer many young people, both male and female, gethering here to fight drugs and compete with one another under the name of "MuayThai." He also expressed his happiness on MuayThai having been included in the SEA and Asian Indoor Games.

"I whole-heartedly support this year's event, which has at the center of its message one that mirrors my own policy---Stay Off Drugs-Get Hooked on Life.," he said.

Inaugurating the historic World MuayThai Championship and MuayThai Against Drug, Mr Suwat Liptapanlop, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, said the MuayThai Agaist Drugs Campaign, under the umbrella of the World MuayThai Council (WMC) and International Federation of MuayThai Amateur (IFMA), had "blossomed into a world-wide campaign." In his message, the Deputy Prime Minister said he was profoundly happy to note that so many countries had already organized similar events of "MuayThai Against Drugs" as their theme.

He said as a Thai, he was proud of seeing the world became united under the banner of MuayThai to fight against menace of drug use.

"It is not just an empty slogan to say the evil of drugs has many faces and that MuayThai is a great tool to lure young people from the street into the art and develop a healhty body and mind in which drugs have no place," he imphatically stated.

General Pichtr Kullavanijaya, Privy Councilor of the King of Thailand was impressed with this year's MuayThai event as it was organized under the theme of "MuayThai Againast Drugs." He said narcotics or drugs when addicted it was very difficult to cure.

Durgs caused a great deal of social and economic loss to their world population beyond anyone's imagination.

He said if they did nothing to prevent it, the majority of the world population would become inferior physically and mentally.

He hoped that the current program ---World MuayThai Championships---MuayThai Against Drugs would help build immunity and protect the world population.

Thailand's Tourism Minister, Mr Sontaya Kunplome, WMC President General Chetta Thanajaro, Governor of Sports Authority of Thailand, Dr Santiparb Tejavanija and IFMA President Dr Sakchye Tapsuwan had sent their messagess on the occassion of the World Championship MuayThai Against Drugs. Nearly two dozen Ambassies in Bangkok, besides other high ranking officials of Thailand Government attended the function. It may be mentioned that the Indian delegation led by Mr Oken Jeet Sandham attended the historic event and would be here till the program is over.

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