Malacañang will roll down its red carpet once more for visiting Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who will arrive Sunday for a four-day official visit.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday Princess Sirindhorn, second daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of the Royal Kingdom of Thailand, will pay a visit from Nov. 15 to 18, highlighting the year-long celebration of the 60th year of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Thailand.

The DFA said on the first leg of her visit, Princess Sirindhorn will attend the 6th International Rice Symposium Monday, Nov. 16, upon the invitation of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Laguna, which is celebrating its 50th founding anniversary.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of royal patronage of King Bhumibol Adulyadej who was invited to be the patron of IRRI, it cited.

During her stay in Laguna, she is expected to visit the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PRRI), the Philippine Carabao Center, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Center for Biodiversity.

Monday, Nov. 16, President Arroyo is expected to host a dinner for the princess, who has received numerous awards and recognitions for her philanthropic work and for her patronage of culture and the arts and sponsorship of various fields of science.

The University of the Philippines in Los Baños will confer a Doctor of Law Degree (Honoris Causa) on her the following day. The Princess is also expected to tour the university’s facilities.

This will be the second visit of Thai royalty to the Philippines. Her first trip to the country was in August, 1991, during the administration of the late President Aquino when she donated the award money she received to help the Mount Pinatubo victims.