Yotsanan inaugurated the "Bun Bang Fai Praewa" festival before heading to Sirindhorn Museum to view giant dinosaurs, marking Nam Dam city’s push to become a tourism hub.
On 30 May 2026 at Phon Community School in Kham Muang District, Kalasin Province, Mr. Yotsanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (HESRI), spent the weekend with his family presiding over the opening of the annual "Bun Bang Fai Ban Phon (Bun Bang Fai Praewa) Festival 2026." He was welcomed by the Kalasin Pheu Thai Party MPs and high-ranking local officials.
Mr. Yotsanan said he deliberately wore traditional local attire to greet the people of Kalasin and praised the local MPs for continuously promoting the issue of Praewa silk in parliament. The government and HESRI Ministry, together with the Ministry of Culture, are committed to elevating Thai Praewa silk into a global art form. He also pointed out that the Bun Bang Fai festival is not only about faith and morale-boosting for farmers before the planting season but also an "economic engine" that attracts foreign tourists and generates substantial income circulating at the grassroots community level.
After the official opening with bell ringing and fireworks, Deputy Prime Minister Yotsanan shed his formal persona and joined the Phu Thai villagers of Ban Phon in traditional dance in a warm, friendly manner, bringing smiles and lively excitement throughout the event.
In the afternoon, after the festival, Deputy Prime Minister Yotsanan switched to his role as a father and took his children to "Sirindhorn Museum" in Sahatsakhan District for further learning. They toured fossil exhibits and biodiversity displays, with an exclusive special lecture by renowned paleobiologist Dr. Sita Manitkul, who shared in-depth insights on the discovery of “Nakai Titan Chaiyaphumensis,” the largest long-necked dinosaur found recently in Southeast Asia. Yotsanan’s children listened attentively, their eyes wide with interest, as the family often spends their free time visiting educational museums.
