National —
At 8:15 PM, on October 7th, 2024, the first group of 17 Miss Grand International contestants arrived in Thailand at Suvarnabhumi International Airport from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
This comes after the Miss Grand International Organization announced the cancellation of activities in Cambodia due to alleged poor hospitality, which went viral on social media.
One event, meant to be a formal dinner on a boat, turned out to be a ride on a wooden vessel with plastic chairs and boiled peanuts as snacks for the contestants from 75 countries.
Miss Grand Thailand 2024, Malin “Lin” Charanan, was emotional upon her return, saying, “I’m so happy to be home. It’s hard to describe. Thank you so much to everyone who came to welcome us. We want everyone to know this is Thailand, the Land of Smiles.”
She also shared her disappointment with the boat ride in Phnom Penh, where safety was a concern, and the contestants received limited food options. Despite this, Lin expressed her excitement for upcoming activities in Thailand, including a visit to Wat Arun and a river cruise on the Chao Phraya with a proper buffet.
The Miss Grand International organization will now resume its activities in Thailand, and a press conference led by the pageant’s founder, Nawat Itsaragrisil, is scheduled for October 10th to address the issues that occurred in Cambodia.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.