Thailand so badly hit by the economic downturn, made even more stark by the manifold increase in the shanties within the city limits, needs some pleasant experiences to carry it through these difficult and troubled times. In that sense, when the whole Bangkok, and possibly Thailand, looked forward to such a celebration, it was understandable.

It is no irony, and was probably all planned, that the first of the seven-act opening ceremony was entitled `The Dawn' asThailand hopes for a change for the better after these Games and into the next millenium. With an accompanying cast of more than 10,000 and at a cost of 100 million baht (just under three million US dollars) Thailand, this evening, welcomed Asian athletes for the fourth time in 32 years to join for the largest sporting celebration in the continent.

It might be difficult to comprehend the need to indulge in such huge expenditures at a time when each dollar is vital, but it is also difficult to assess in tangible terms the boost in morale that a nation's people get with such a positive activity. Thailand, like Malaysia has used the Games to gain the faith of its own populace and encourage foreigners to come to their country once again. And they have spared little effort in that direction.Based on the omnipresent theme of `Friendship Beyond Frontier', the three-hour show focussed on the relationship between participating countries with an emphasis on the importance of Asian values shared by all present here.Even if it was mainly in the local Thai dialect, it was hard to miss out what they wanted: co-operation among all neighbours and Asian bretheren.

Broadly, the programme was divided into three segments with the first having the `The Dawn', `United Asia' and `Sawasdee Chai-Yo'. The second was the celebration of the King's birthday, and the third had three stages `The Gathering of the Heavenly Spirits', `The Spirits of Asia' and the `Songs of Friendship'.

Opening with the sacred sounds of the morning, the haunting temple bells and a soft chant, the traditional Thai song `Ching Phra Chan' was rendered. `United Asia' presented a blend of Asian martial arts, like Taekwondo, judo, Kung-Fu, Pencak Silar and Muay Thai (Thai Kick boxing), many of which have now found their way into formal medal competition. With `Chang' the elephant bobbing up and down on a gift-wrapped box pulled by a Tuk-Tuk (so similar to the old Harley-Davidson style phat-phatis back home), Thai children welcomed visitors from all over Asia in`Sawasdee Chai-yo'.

Then followed the traditional `Chalermprakiat' performance to pay tribute to His Majesty, the King, who released a Royal Pigeon, to declare the Games open. Thai woman weightlifter, Khassaporn Suta, winner of the gold medallist in the last South-East Asian Games, carried the torch into the field and handed it over to boxer Somluck Khamsing, Thailand's only gold medallist at the 1996 Olympics, who lit the Sacred Fire.

After those formalities came the last segment `Music of Asia' with renditions of `The Gathering of the Heavenly Spirits', `The Spirits of Asia' and the `Songs of Friendship' by some of the best singers from Thailand.The King must have left the Stadium a much-relieved man and in a happy frame of mind after so much of uncertainty and chaos that had preceded these Games for the last 18 months. For sheer effort, Thailand deserves all the kudos and now the stage is formally set for the fortnight sporting celebration.