IIFA awards ceremony in Bangkok this week

Bangkok, Jun 2 (UNI) Bollywood stars will gather this week in the Thai capital for the 2008 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards ceremony, an event that is also expected to boost Indian tourism and business in Thailand.

The June 6-8 event is the ninth edition of the IIFA. The earlier ceremonies took place in London, Yorkshire, Johannesburg, Sun City, Amsterdam, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

''IIFA is a high-value movie event. The fact that the organisers have chosen Thailand as the venue means they trust the country's potential in tourism and entertainment,'' Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said.

A highlight of the IIFA awards weekend here would be the world premiere of Amitabh Bachchan's 'Sarkar Raj'. The legendary Indian actor is also the IIFA brand ambassador.

Thailand has become a popular setting for Indian cinema producers in recent years with some 30 Indian films being shot in the past two years, bringing 20 million US dollars in income for the Thai economy.

UNI XC SYU HT1509