Thai teachers get schooled in Mandarin

Training program will see educators study in China on full scholarships

BANGKOK - Teachers in Thailand's capital are learning Mandarin to help the country cope with an increase in Chinese tourists.

On a hot Saturday afternoon recently, volunteer Mandarin teachers in Bangkok came to the Confucius Institute at Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University to take their weekly three-hour course of Mandarin and Chinese culture.