Thailand to host Bollywood academy awards

In a bid to boost tourism and business connections between the two countries, Thailand will host the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in June, media reports said Wednesday.

The Bollywood in Bangkok event will kick off on June 6 with the premier of the new Indian movie Sakar Raj at Bangkok's posh Siam Paragon theatre, and end with the presentation of IIFA awards on the night of June 8, said the Bangkok Post newspaper.The so-called "IIFA Weekend Bangkok" will be co-sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Dusit Thani Hotel group, Siam Niramit Company, Indorama Group and the Bangkok Post.

The event is expected to draw Bollywood movie fans to Bangkok from around the region and hopefully generate more bilateral business between the two countries which have already signed a Foreign Trade Agreement