Beauty contest to help improve Thailand's image after tsunami.

(From Bangkok Post)

Thailand hopes the staging of the Miss Universe 2005 pageant in Bangkok will present the country as a safe, peaceful and beautiful destination, replacing the tarnished image caused by the tsunami disaster.

Deputy prime minister Suwat Liptapallop said the world-class event would help promote Thailand to more than 1,170 million viewers in 170 countries across the world.

For the entire month of May, the world will see Thailand in a positive light, a far cry from its exposure following the tsunami, which struck six southern provinces last December.

Through the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the government has …