Royal Visit

This morning I set off for work on my motorbike as usual. As I approached the main highway, I was stopped by a policeman who asked where I was going. I was heading just down the road to one of the villages on the outskirts of Mae Sot, only a few minutes on the motorbike, and he waved me on. As I rode along, I realised that there was almost no traffic at all on the highway, which is usually busy at that time of the morning. Then I noticed that there were policemen stationed at the side of the road at regular intervals. Just as I was approaching the point where I would turn off to go to the village, one of these policemen flagged me down and prevented me from going any further. I told him where I was going, but he insisted that I pull my bike right off the road and wait, together with a few other people whose journeys had been likewise interrupted.
At this point I phoned my coordinator to see if he had also been caught up in whatever was going on, and if he could throw any light on it all. He had already arrived at the centre, but he told me that the princess was coming to Mae Sot today, which is why they were clearing the road of traffic. Sure enough, after several minutes, the first cars in a long motorcade came along the road at high speed and with lights flashing. They were followed by the royal cars themselves, several minibuses, an ambulance, an army truck full of soldiers and various other assorted vehicles. Once they had passed we were allowed to proceed on our way.
I have not discovered the purpose of her visit. Apparently she comes here about once a year. I have heard reports that in the past when there was a royal visit, the local authorities went round "eliminating" a significant proportion of the dog population before the visit. Whether or not that is true I do not know, but I don't think I would be sorry if the streets were suddenly and mysteriously dog-free!