Thailand

By Piroon Laismit

I have led many groups of visitors to our “chocolate factory” run entirely by persons with disabilities. The expressions of awe and amazement on the faces of my guests never fail to warm my heart. Enter our training centre for chocolate making and you will see to your left, visually impaired staff, meticulously wrapping chocolate bars with high precision, due to their heightened sense of touch and space. Turn to your right and you will see hearing impaired employees, stirring and pouring different chocolate mixtures into chocolate molds, monitoring these molds while they bake in the oven, and then taking them out of the oven for further processing. Every time I observe them busy at work while explaining to my guests the different steps involved in chocolate making, I always feel proud, not only of their achievements but also how they continue to inspire others. Every branch of 60+ Plus Bakery and Café was established with the aim to provide a space for training persons with disabilities, and to serve as a model for coffee shops, or restaurants, successfully run by persons with disabilities. 

60+ Plus Bakery & Chocolate Café and products

Source: APCD 60+ Plus Bakery & Café Facebook page 

Over the years, I have seen the power and impact of coming together to create opportunities for people in society – opportunities that allow everyone to realize their full potential, and to be able to live independently with dignity. This is our aspiration at the Asia-Pacific Development Centre on Disability (APCD) when we design training courses and brainstorm career opportunities for persons with disabilities, mostly persons who are visually or hearing impaired, and autistic people. We have demonstrated that they are fully capable to contribute to the food business with our 60+ Plus Bakery and Café staffed and run entirely by such persons. The Café in particular, together with our “chocolate factory,” is a success story that I am always pleased to share with others and one that I have been personally committed to. 

60+ Plus Bakery and Café by Yamazaki is a collaborative project between the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security of Thailand, the Embassy of Japan, Thai-Yamazaki Co. Ltd, and APCD. It is a project under the royal patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, established to commemorate HRH’s 60th birthday anniversary in 2015. In a very short time after its establishment and due to its immense success, the Café has expanded to include a branch at the Royal Government House and a restaurant run and serviced entirely by persons with disabilities.

Most recently in 2019, we had the honour to produce chocolate for world leaders during Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship that year and Thailand’s APEC Host Economy Year in 2022. It was a special opportunity to showcase the potential and talent of persons with disabilities to policy makers worldwide and a great source of pride for the men and women behind 60 Plus Café. My only hope is that with each new project and activity, their work will continue to inspire others to see beyond our limitations and to contribute whatever they can to society. 

 The Importance of a Disability Enabling and Disability Inclusive Future

As a regional development centre on disability, we strive to communicate the importance and necessity of working towards a disability enabling and disability inclusive future. 

Since the 1970s, it was estimated that 10% of the world’s population was disabled. Some 40 years later in 2011, a first-ever joint report on disability produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB) put that number at 15%, or approximately one billion people who were living with some form of disability. By the end of 2022, this figure had increased to 1.3 billion. In Thailand currently, 3.19% of the population, or roughly 2.1 million people, live with some form of disability. 

One conclusion that can be drawn from these statistics is that disability is a fact and reality of life. Whether due to an increase in chronic diseases or ageing populations or sadly, war and conflict, disability is not something we can ‘eradicate’. Another conclusion is that the percentage of persons living with some forms of disability is not small and rather a number that must prompt us to action. 

And this action must come from having the right attitudes towards and understanding of persons with disabilities. We must continue to find ways to enable and empower persons with disabilities, to live independently and contribute to their communities. This is valuable not only for the disabled population themselves, but for society as a whole, in reducing inequalities that prevent us from reaching our full potential.

 Thailand’s Journey in Creating an Enabling Environment: From Social Welfare to Development Cooperation

In Thailand, work on creating an enabling environment for persons with disabilities started well before 2015 and the establishment of the 60+ Plus Bakery and Café by Yamazaki. In fact, it began in earnest decades ago in 1954, when the Foundation for the Welfare of the Disabled was established under the royal patronage of HRH the Princess Mother (HRH Princess Somdet Phra Srinakarindra Boromarajajonani). This was soon followed in 1961 by the establishment of a service center dedicated for children and a school for disabled people, “Sri Sangwan School”. 

Over the following decades, an expanding network of foundations and organizations with missions to support people with disabilities were either set up or came under royal patronage in Thailand. The Foundation for the Blind and the Foundation for the Deaf in Thailand came under the royal patronage of the HM Queen Sirikit in 1959 and 1964 respectively, the Christian Foundation for the Blind received patronage by HM King Bhumibol in 1978, and the Thailand-Caulfield Foundation for the Blind (TCFB) came under the patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in 1980. 

In my opinion, what was so distinct and pivotal about the royal patronage behind these foundations was that it gave these organizations much-needed publicity and support, improving access to critical funding and collaboration with other agencies. This, in turn improved ‘access’ for people with disabilities to public infrastructure and social services. It was the spark that ignited the engine behind a robust machinery that moved vital work forward in this area.

Source: Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteers Facebook page 

As these foundations became more established in providing support to the disabled population in Thailand, some even extended outreach to other countries, especially developing countries in Africa and the South Pacific – adding positive momentum to Thailand’s development cooperation. Deserving particular mention is the Prostheses Foundation of HRH the Princess Mother. Set up officially in 1992, it initially worked with the Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteers (PMMV), whose mobile units of doctors and nurses have been in operation since 1969 to reach out to the sick and disabled in remote areas. From the outset, the Foundation focused on using locally-sourced materials for the production of prosthetic legs to reduce costs, based on the principle of self-sufficiency. Over the years and through the support and status lent by the royal patronage, the Foundation was able to collaborate widely with academia and the private sector in the comprehensive production, design, distribution and practical application of these artificial devices.  

 Towards Sustainable Development through Training and Knowledge Sharing

In 2007, the Prostheses Foundation started projects with community hospitals to offer all-in-one service for prosthetics wearers, including repairs, refitting of spare parts and training for prosthetics production. It was at this point that the knowledge-sharing took on an international dimension, with training extended to Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. A few years later, the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) initiated cooperation with Burundi and Senegal. By then, the Prostheses Foundation had already produced prosthetic legs for over 3,000 disabled persons, and become among the most prolific in Southeast Asia. 

Source: TICA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On 28 September 2013, I had the opportunity to attend a donation ceremony for artificial limbs at the R.J. Grast Memorial Hall in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and to witness the life changing impact that they had with my own eyes. The donation was made upon the request of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, whereby the Royal Thai Government, represented by TICA, in collaboration with the Prostheses Foundation of HRH the Princess Mother, donated one hundred artificial limbs to victims of the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, which housed five garment factories. Its collapse on 24 April 2013 killed at least 1,132 people and injured more than 2,500 workers. Our donation of artificial limbs from Thailand gave these workers in Bangladesh a new life and hope. 

Thailand-Senegal cooperation on prosthetic services

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs website

In Africa, the Royal Thai Embassy in Dakar, in collaboration with TICA, extended the expertise of the Prostheses Foundation to Burundi and Senegal by creating regular exchanges, and providing training on the production and management of prosthetics-related services. This collaboration also served to boost bilateral relations, with Thailand helping to set up a prostheses centre at a military hospital in Dakar. Officials from Senegal and Burundi also visited Thailand for study visits and further training.

In 2016, the Prostheses Foundation found exciting new collaborators. This time they were leading companies in the fields of material science and design. Dow Thailand Group, SCG Chemicals and Rubber Soul Company added innovative value by providing specialty urethane, polypropylene, elastomers and ergonomic design for better comfort and durability.

The Foundation had indeed come a long way – from gaining royal patronage to assist the disabled in Thailand’s remote countryside, to offering comprehensive learning support to communities and villages in other countries.

Institutionalising Disability Inclusiveness

Efforts to improve the welfare of people with disabilities require constant attention and commitment. There is a need for an established infrastructure of public agencies, foundations, and private sector collaboration to sustain projects. And this collaboration, as we have seen in this space, does not need to be limited domestically. Rooted in the philosophy of self-sufficiency and the principle of sustainable development, the various Foundations in Thailand whose missions are to empower people with disabilities are now all operating with a vision towards self-reliance, holistic learning, and partnership with the private sector on disability-inclusive businesses, as well as development cooperation with other countries.

We have to recognize that disability, after all, is not inability. Rather, persons with disabilities are differently abled with their own set of unique strengths. They can be empowered through inclusive policies and society will benefit as a result.

Let me end here with a favorite quote of mine, that I always come back to, from the Late King Bhumibol the Great, which he uttered in his remarks at the Foundation for the Welfare of the Disabled under the Royal Patronage of HRH the Princess Mother on 22 March 1984: “Helping people with disabilities is a very important task…because they did not wish to be disabled, but would rather be able to help themselves… So, it is our task, our responsibility to ensure our policies enable them to help themselves, so that they can contribute to society”.

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Mr. Piroon Laismit is the Asia-Pacific Centre on Disability (APCD) Executive Director and has extensive experience on the empowerment of persons with disabilities through capacity building programs. Before joining the APCD, Mr. Laismit headed Thailand’s development cooperation projects as the Director-General of the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has also served as Ambassador of Thailand to the State of Qatar.

By Dr. Apichart Jongskul 

In December of 2013, the United Nations designated December 5th as World Soil Day. 

For those of us who may not be immediately familiar with the significance of soil, it may be a wonder why countries around the world would commit to a day to recognize and celebrate something there seems to be no shortage of in the world today. 

In fact, it is a simple matter of quality over quantity. 

The rate at which soil is becoming degraded and depleted could very well turn it into the new black gold. While soil formation does occur in nature, the process is so slow that soil may as well be regarded as a non-renewable resource. Consider this – it takes up to 1,000 years to form one centimeter of top soil, but this one centimeter can be lost with just one heavy rainfall. It should not come as a surprise then, that the United Nations has been raising the alarm bells of an impending catastrophe. Ninety per cent of the Earth’s precious topsoil is likely to be at risk by 2050. By that year, the impact of soil degradation could have already caused $23 trillion in losses of food, ecosystem services and income worldwide. These are staggering figures. 

Soil erosion in the Tanzanian Maasai landscape 

Source: University of Plymouth/Carey Marks, United Nations website

Yet, many people still hold the false perception that there is an infinite supply of arable soil, and few realize how precious it really is. While the land beneath our feet provides for 95 per cent of our food, the significance of soil spans over and above agriculture. 

Soil is the habitat for over a quarter of the planet’s biodiversity. Each gram of soil contains millions of cells of microbes and fungi, making it one of nature’s most complex ecosystems. Soils are also home to many other organisms like insects that lay and hatch eggs there. 

  Source: Infographic by the World Bank from the World Economic Forum website

Healthy soil is also necessary for preventing water scarcity. The majority of the world’s water – up to 97 percent – is found below. This groundwater is the result of melted snow and ice, and rain that has seeped into the soil through a process where the soils filter dust, chemicals, and other contaminants. Today, groundwater supplies are directly responsible for providing around 50% of the world’s freshwater used for human consumption. Groundwater also accounts for 40% of the water used for irrigated land, and 50% of the water used for the urban population. 

What’s more, soil can help protect the planet from climate change. According to an estimate by Columbia University’s Earth Institute a few years ago, soil was found to remove about 25 percent of the world’s fossil fuel emissions each year. 

Better land management and agricultural practices can enhance the ability of soils to store carbon and help combat global warming. 

Indeed, the importance of maintaining and managing the quality of our soil cannot be overstated. Our food supply, clean drinking water, biodiversity and the viability of life on earth itself depends on it. 

Thailand is a country with many different types of soil, some of which are good for farming and some of which are troublesome in terms of quality, physical state, and chemical composition, leading to low yields, crop failure and unprofitable returns.                     

Pikun Thong Development Study Centre in Narathawit province, Thailand,

which was initiated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great to serve as a model for farmers nationwide in improving the quality of soil.

Source: Thailand Tourism Directory website

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, who committed his reign to improving the standard of living for all Thais, and in particular for Thai farmers, placed a high priority on agricultural development and the study of soils. He directed Royal Initiatives towards the revitalization of soil through natural methods. Eventually, through extensive research and experimentation at Royal Project sites, practical and cost-effective solutions were found for various problem soils such as sandy soil, laterite soil, erosion-prone soil, saline soil, and acidic soil. They were solutions intended for ease of implementation by farmers. 

 Vetiver grass 

 Source: Land Development Department,^,

 Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives website              

One of these methods was the use of vetiver grass, which behaves like a living wall that prevents soil erosion and retains moisture.

In 2009, His Majesty gave a Royal Speech in which He explained the value of his 17 years studying vetiver grass which revealed its many benefits: 

“Some grasses may be useful in some places. The vetiver grass, on the contrary, is very useful in different landscapes not only on flat land but also in mountainous areas. Vetiver can grow in both deep and shallow soils. Vetiver roots can penetrate up to five or six meters which was never expected in grasses before. More importantly, vetiver - 4 - roots only grow vertically up to five meters without spreading horizontally. Therefore, it will not disturb the roots of the crops cultivated nearby. Some kinds of vetiver can penetrate their roots very deep – about four or five meters. Some roots are as deep as six meters. For the other grasses, their roots can also go deep in the soil but only three meters deep. The long root system of vetiver offers coverage on the ground surface which can prevent soil erosion. The soil under the covering vetiver will also be strong and can be used for anything. For example, the soils along the road bank will be protected and will not slide down the slopes of the hills. This can be seen on the road to Doi Tung. Vetiver growing on the banks of the road makes the road safe and stable. It is the miracle of the vetiver grass. Moreover, it will make tree planting along the road side feasible. In addition, the soils along the roadsides have stopped eroding which had damaged the cropland below in the past.” (translation as found in “Soul of the Thai People: The Great Philosopher in Soils, His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Land Development Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, 2017)

In 1993, the World Bank presented His Majesty with a specially-commissioned sculpture of a vetiver plant made of bronze, together with an Award of Recognition “for technical and development accomplishment in the promotion of vetiver technology internationally.” As a leader of research in vetiver grass, Thailand was chosen to host the first International Conference on Vetiver (ICV) in 1996 in collaboration with the World Bank and the FAO. Subsequently, the Pacific Rim Vetiver Network with Thailand at the core was established to serve 22 member countries of the Pacific Rim in order to disseminate information on the Vetiver System. To date, member countries have produced over 70,000 publications which are accessible through the website administered by the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board.

Office of the Royal Development Projects Board website

FAO observed World Soil Day on December 5thin 2012 for the first time, which was also the 85th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great of Thailand. Earlier that year, His Majesty the King was also honoured as the first recipient of the Humanitarian Soil Scientist award for his dedication to soil resource management. The award was presented to His Majesty by Stephen Northcliff, Chairman of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) on April 16th, 2012.  

This was a decade after the IUSS first recommended an international day to celebrate soil in 2002. 

Thereafter, Thailand has consistently demonstrated her leadership on soil conservation, including supporting FAO’s efforts to raise awareness on this important issue at the global level by promoting the formal establishment of World Soil Day within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership. In June 2013, the FAO Conference unanimously endorsed World Soil Day and six months later, in December, the UN General Assembly designated December 5th, 2014 as the first official World Soil Day, which has since been celebrated on an annual basis. 

Since the launch of the World Soil Day in 2014, its celebration has become one of the most influential FAO communication campaigns to date, with hundreds of events held worldwide and huge social media and digital impact. The momentum gained has been spectacular, from a modest beginning of 42 events in 2014 to an impressive 781 celebrations across 125 countries in 2021. The celebration period last year also witnessed the hashtag #WorldSoilDay reaching 330 million users and was trending on December 5th. 

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations website 

In relation to World Soil Day, Thailand also sponsors the annual King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award to recognize individuals or institutions that organize impactful World Soil Day celebrations. Recipients of these awards have come from several corners of the world, namely, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, India and Nigeria. 

However, despite the laudable efforts of numerous organizations, scientists, environmentalists and others who raise awareness about the importance of healthy soil, we are still not out of the danger zone. Intensive farming practices, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, deforestation, industrial activity and rapid urbanization continue to aggravate the loss of soils in almost every country in the world. 

Perhaps in moving ahead, we have to fine-tune the message. Changing minds is important and can happen when people are provided with information.

But intellectual understanding alone may not be enough to cause a change in behavior. We should also think about how to change hearts, that is, the way people feel about soil. 

Aldo Leopold, considered by many to be the father of wildlife ecology, said that “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

In this aspect, I believe that 5 December, the birthday of the late King, also has something invaluable to offer. 

When the late King was born His Majesty King Prajadhipok bestowed upon the newborn the name “Bhumibol Adulyadej” and explained that the two words mean “Strength of the Land, Incomparable and Unparalleled Power”. It was recounted that at the time the Princess Mother said to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, “In fact, your name Bhumibol means Strength of the Land as I want you to be on the ground of soil.” The late King later explained that when looking back to what his Queen Mother said, what she probably meant was that she wished for His Majesty the late King to be humble and work for His Thai subjects. 

True to the blessing of his Queen Mother, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great became an exemplar of humility. During Royal Visits to the countryside, the late King would often be kneeling or sitting down on the ground to listen to his people’s hardships, for hours on end. I am sure it never bothered Him to have a bit of soil on his clothes. 

This year, many important activities have been organized to celebrate World Soil Day both in Thailand and abroad. On December 5th, the Ministry of Interior organized a “World Soil Day 2022” event in every province in Thailand, to raise public awareness on the importance of soil for environmental conservation and sustainable development, and to honour the work of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great on soil management. On December 15th, the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Namibia to the United Nations, together with the FAO and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, organized a World Soil Day celebration in New York, to raise awareness on the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems through soil health, while also recognizing farmers who are “soil heroes.”

Indeed, every one of us can have a meaningful role to play and I believe it begins with taking the time to understand and appreciate the importance of healthy soils in our lives. At the end of the day, it is my sincere hope that people around the world take inspiration from the important work that has already been done and continues to be advanced on this issue, so that we can multiply our efforts globally, to protect our soil for future generations. 

                                                             * * * * *

Dr. Apichart Jongskul has been working on soil management and land development for decades and has previously served as the Director General of the Land Development Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. In 2015, he became an advisor to the Chaipattana Foundation – a foundation established by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great to contribute to national development – and has since assumed the position of Deputy Secretary General of the foundation from 2018 to the present. 

Article by Cherdkiat Atthakor 

How do you reach the furthest behind, meaningfully? What do you give them that will allow them to change their own trajectory in life, to impact their immediate surroundings, and to advance their societies, their countries? You give them access to quality education.  

Time and again, this has been the single, most effective game-changer in the lives of so many people who were born without other means to get ahead in life. Education continues to be, in fact, a social ladder when it comes to overcoming systems of privilege and inequality. For those who struggle on the margins of our societies, it opens doors. 

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has opened that door for so many underprivileged children in Thailand, engaging with the agencies responsible to improve the entire system of education in the country. 

Her sole desire has been to make quality education accessible to all, and in particular, the most disadvantaged. In Thailand, this has meant access to quality education for children living in the remote and rural areas of the country. It has also meant reaching those living in the mountainous areas where accessibility is close to impossible, and those living along areas bordering our neighbouring countries. 

The Lions Mahachak 9 Border Patrol Police School, Mae Taeng District, Chiangmai province in the north of Thailand, under the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board (ORDPB) 

Credit: Office of the Royal Development Projects Board (ORDPB) website 

Since her youth, Her Royal Highness has been a firm believer in the power of knowledge. She herself, has been devoted to studying and applying a variety of knowledge gained to improve people’s lives in Thailand. Her Royal Highness has focused on advocating “education for all” through advancing collaboration among all stakeholders, both in government and the private sector, with the ultimate goal of creating a network of knowledge-sharing, technical support, and resource mobilization, not only in Thailand, but worldwide.

Embracing her vision, government and academic institutions began to follow her example in the pursuit of academic excellence and a better life for the country’s future generations. In 1979, that vision materialized with The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation, which began providing concrete support to needy students in schools, vocational colleges and universities. Then, in 1983, Her Royal Highness expanded these efforts to start a project to provide better access to quality education for children living in the rural outreaches of the country.

It was through activities under this project that teachers, especially border patrol police teachers, were trained on specific teaching methods under specific conditions targeted towards achieving concrete learning outcomes for these children. This project later included a particular focus and training on improving education for stateless and minority children.

Through her work, the more disadvantaged children she impacted, the more Her Royal Highness began to recognize and give equal importance to other factors shaping children’s development. This included providing good nutrition and combatting iodine deficiency through lunch projects, providing access to technology for schools in rural areas, and improving the quality of teachers through awards and scholarships.

In 1990, Her Royal Highness initiated the Deficiency Disorder Control Project. In cooperation with UNICEF and salt producing companies in Thailand, the Iodine Deficiency Disorder rate in primary school children in Thailand has continuously been kept at under 5 percent. 

In 1995, Her Royal Highness initiated the IT for Rural Schools Program, as part of her comprehensive IT project for education, to address inequality by providing access to computers and IT equipment to member schools. Through this program, teachers and students in rural, remote areas of Thailand were able to experience and develop their skills in the use of technology.

 Online learning

Credit: The Information Technology Foundation under the Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn website 

Her Royal Highness’ dedication and contributions in the field of education over the years then inspired the Teacher’s Council of Thailand, Ministry of Education, to establish the Princess Maha Chakri Award in her honour in 2015. The Award is given once every two years to 11 outstanding teachers from ASEAN Member States and Timor Leste, honouring dedicated teachers, promoting the teaching profession, and strengthening international relations in the field of education.

 Credit: Princess Maha Chakri Award website  

Her Royal Highness’ work has also been recognized by the international community and several international organizations. One is UNICEF, which has presented her with the Life-Time Achievement Award for her significant role and unwavering commitment in improving the lives of children in Thailand, especially those in remote and disadvantaged areas. 

In 1991, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award was and is considered Asia’s highest honour, the region’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize.

It was at the Magsaysay Award ceremony, that Her Royal Highness shared with the audience a glimpse into the inspiration behind her work:

“It is the duty, and also the highest aspiration of a Thai to take part in any work aimed at the development and prosperity of our beloved country, Thailand, and to help our less fortunate neighbour have a better life.”  

Indeed, the well-being and quality of people’s lives cannot be improved by one person alone. It takes collective and consistent effort, and it takes time. In fact, it takes all of us, to do our part in contributing to societal well-being, for the future of our children and generations to come. In the world we live in today, no one is untouched by the global economic recession, poverty, crime and unemployment, and other societal ills. A quality education is what will best prepare people for an ever-changing environment, and equip them to handle the fast-paced, dynamic and unpredictable circumstances of our world.

I, for one, am also a firm believer in the power of knowledge, and that a little learning goes a long way for everyone, especially for those furthest behind, to whom we owe our best efforts to raise up.  

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Mr. Cherdkiat Atthakor is Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, who oversees the Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs that organizes training for Thai diplomats throughout their career. He has a wide range of experience in foreign affairs, previously serving as the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, the Ambassador of Thailand to Kenya, as well as the Deputy Director-General of the Department of East Asian Affairs, the Department of ASEAN Affairs, and the Department of International Organizations.

 “True success is not in the learning, but in its application to the benefit of mankind” (His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla).

Article by Tanee Sangrat

The 24th of September is an important date in Thailand. Known as “Prince Mahidol Day,” it marks the date of the passing of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla in 1929. 

 Prince Mahidol is remembered for his impact on the advancement of higher education, especially in the fields of basic sciences, public health and medical research. But there are two particularly noteworthy undertakings credited to Prince Mahidol that have had significant impact on the development of both the software and hardware of medical advancement in the country. 

First, Prince Mahidol allocated his personal funds towards scholarships for talented Thai students to study basic sciences, and other fields of applied sciences, in the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and the United States. These students would then return to Siam as the first groups of well-qualified teaching staff to “pay it forward” through teaching. They would later make their own contributions to progress in the medical field.

Second, Prince Mahidol acquired modern equipment for teaching basic sciences and the construction of laboratories and classrooms. He also served as Chairman of the Committee to establish the Siriraj School of Medicine, now the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, which is one of the best in the country. 

These and other meaningful actions have had a long term impact on the development of medicine and public health services, so much so that Prince Mahidol has been honoured with the title “Father of Medicine and Public Health of Thailand.”

In 1950, 21 years after his passing, alumni from the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, who had received scholarships from Prince Mahidol to study abroad, together with others who had received other forms of assistance from the Prince, and members of the general public, came together to build a monument at Siriraj Hospital in his honour. A year later, the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, announced that 24th September would be known as “Prince Mahidol Day” and that important activities would be organized to commemorate His Royal Highness. This started out with an annual commemoration speech and in 1960, expanded to include tokens of appreciation for people who made donations towards medical treatment for the poor at Siriraj Hospital. These tokens came in the form of triangular flags made from white cloth with a picture of the monument of Prince Mahidol and the message “In commemoration of Prince Mahidol Day – 24th September, Siriraj Hospital” in green font. Nowadays, these tokens of appreciation come in many different colours and there is a Siriraj Foundation that accepts donations for modern medical equipment and medical treatment for the poor at Siriraj Hospital, as well as human resource development at the Faculty of Medicine.

Prince Mahidol’s legacy on education for humanity was further institutionalized by the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, with the proposal to establish the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, to commemorate the centenary birthday anniversary of His Royal Highness, on 1 January 1992. The Foundation is responsible for carrying out his legacy by organizing the Prince Mahidol Award Ceremony, the Prince Mahidol Award Conference, and the Prince Mahidol Youth Award Programme Scholarship.

Two Prince Mahidol Awards are conferred annually upon individuals, or institutions, which have made exemplary contributions to the advancement of medical and public health services for humanity throughout the world. Each award consists of a medal, a certificate, and a sum of 100,000 USD. Any national medical, or health authority, or indvidual, or group of individuals acting in a non-governmental capacity, may submit nominations for the award to the Secretary-General of the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation before the 31st of May each year.

Last year, the Prince Mahidol Award in the field of medicine was conferred upon Associate Professor Katalin Karikó, Ph.D., from Hungary and Professor Drew Weissman, M.D., Ph.D. from the United States, for their joint research on mRNA technology, which has led to the development of COVID-19 vacccines, and Professor Pieter Cullis, Ph.D. from Canada, for his pioneering research on lipid nanoparticles, which have been used to develop mRNA vaccines so that they are able to enter human cells. Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Public Health of Thailand, met with the Prince Mahidol Laureates in January 2022, to congratulate and to commend them on their dedication to assist hundreds and thousands of patients all over the world. He acknowledged that their achievements are extremely important contributions to humanity and was honoured that Thailand could play a role in supporting their research.

The Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) is similarly an annual event held in Bangkok, which invites leaders and experts to discuss global challenges. The theme for PMAC in January 2022 was “The World We Want: Actions towards a Sustainable, Fairer, and Healthier Society.” PMAC 2022 focused on six mega trends, which include a changing population, changing demographics, urbanization, climate change, land use change and transformative technologies. Participants explored the relationships between these issues and how to address them through policy making and collective action. They noted that the growing world population would impact natural resources and human health. An ageing society results in an increasing number of people with non-infectious diseases, such as strokes and Alzheimer’s disease, requiring more researchers to focus on these diseases. Urbanization and an increase in the number of megacities have a profound impact on pollution and related urban diseases, compounded by climate change. Nevertheless, the rapid development of transformative technologies have the potential to help us overcome such global challenges by advancing medical procedures and forecasting natural disasters. At the end of the day, participants reiterated the need to join forces to create the world we want, while also ensuring that technological advancements and life saving innovations are equally distributed worldwide. 

Finally, just as Prince Mahidol contributed funds towards educational scholarships, the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation continues his legacy through the Prince Mahidol Award Youth Programme Scholarship. Last year, five scholarships were awarded to students from the Faculty of Medicine at leading state hospitals, three from Siriraj Hospital and two from Ramathibodi Hospital, with the confidence that they would return the gesture to society through their service.

Mr. Phurin Areesawangkit from the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, was one of the recipients. In an interview on Radio Thailand’s “MFA Update” program, Phurin explained that the scholarship provides youth who are interested in medical research, public health systems and public health policy, with an opportunity to study in frontline institutions, in any country, for one year. Phurin was motivated to apply for the scholarship for the opportunity to learn from world class experts and to strengthen connections between academic institutions in Thailand and those abroad. He aims to pursue research on the treatment of cancer in the hope of providing more effective treatment for cancer patients in Thailand. He is an example of the powerful and enduring legacy left behind by Prince Mahidol, carrying on the torch of His Majesty’s pursuit of learning for the benefit of mankind and education for humanity. 

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Mr. Tanee Sangrat is Director-General of the Department of Information and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. He is also the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Public Relations of the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation and has worked closely with the foundation in this capacity. During his time at the Department of Information, he has given importance to public diplomacy and engaging youth on international relations through various activities. He has served as the Consul-General to Los Angeles, the Ambassador of Thailand to Vietnam, and is currently Ambassador-designate to the United States.

 Looking back at how the Royal Family has nurtured the Thai Red Cross Society’s humanitarian mission

Article by Tej Bunnag

Secretary-General of the Thai Red Cross Society

“#BeHumanKind: Believe in the power of kindness” was the theme for this year when we celebrated the Red Cross and Red Crescent Day on 8 May 2022. As we reflect on kindness, we wish also to remind ourselves of how Thailand became a member of the International Red Cross Movement.

                   Since its inception in 1893, the Thai Red Cross Society has pursued a humanitarian mission to provide medical care and social welfare support to those in need. The Society was born from the conflict between Siam and France over the Left Bank of the Mekong River, resulting in a number of injuries and fatalities. At the time, there was no organization to provide assistance or relief for the casualties. Thanphuying Plian Phasakaravongse, a lady of the court, urged Thai women to raise funds and collect items, such as medicines and medical equipments, which could be sent to help the injured soldiers. Lady Plian thought that there should be an organization to care for them and affected civilians in the way that the Red Cross was doing and proposed the idea to Queen Savang Vadhana, who submitted it to His Majesty King Chulalongkorn. The King approved and commended the relief efforts as “a good initiative that was suitable as a national role model.” He granted permission for the establishment of the “Red Council of Siam,” the predecessor to the Thai Red Cross Society, on 26 April 1893. His Majesty also donated personal funds of 80,000 baht to help launch the first fund-raising for the “Red Council of Siam,” together with an official statement declaring that “my life and property are united with Siam.” This statement was closely followed by royal permission for a palace to be used for the construction of a Red Cross Council Hospital in June 1893.

                  Once the conflict between Siam and France came to an end, His Majesty King Chulalongkorn asked one of his sons, Prince Nakornchaisri Suradech, to develop and institutionalise the Red Cross Council of Siam and hospital as a permanent organization to further its humanitarian mission. His Majesty sadly passed away before the project was completed. His Heir, King Vajiravudh, together with his siblings, saw the project through by making donations to the existing Red Cross Council Fund to build a hospital on the King’s private property on Rama IV Road. Prince Nakornchaisri Suradech supervised the construction of this hospital. The King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, as it is known today, continues to be one of the country’s best hospitals with state-of-the-art medical facilities to serve the general public.

Office of the Siam Red Cross Society (1914-1932)
Source: Thai Red Cross Society Website

               When asked about what comes to mind when they hear about the Thai Red Cross Society today, most people would think of it as a charitable humanitarian organization. Starting from medical care for wounded soldiers and civilians during war time, the Thai Red Cross Society has since expanded to include many other missions especially since Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, assumed the presidency of the Society in 1956.

               Her Majesty Queen Sirikit is devoted to the humanitarian mission of the Thai Red Cross Society. In May 1979, when tens of thousands of Cambodian refugees fled into Thailand’s Trat province, she rushed to Trat to view the situation firsthand. Then, in her capacity as President of the Thai Red Cross Society, and against the government policy of the time, she established the Khao Lan Thai Red Cross Centre to provide shelter, food, and medical care for the refugees, which became their refuge for many years, until peace returned to Cambodia in 1991.

Khao Lan Thai Red Cross Centre on Trat-Khlong Yai Highway at Km. 48, formerly a facility to assist Cambodian refugees from 1978 - 1986.
Source: Thailand Trip Tour Website

                   In addition to humanitarian assistance for refugees and displaced persons, the Thai Red Cross Society also provides other services to strengthen Thailand’s public healthcare. The government has assigned the Society to be responsible for the National Blood Centre. Thai Red Cross officials and volunteers also pack relief supplies to victims of natural disasters whenever they occur.

                  During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Thai Red Cross Society played an active role in the national vaccination drive. In joining the national vaccination campaign, the society consistently encouraged everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible, Thai nationals and foreigners alike, including migrant workers and other vulnerable groups in Thailand, in line with the government’s policy of “leaving no one behind.” As of May 2022, the Thai Red Cross Society has administered 1,816,316 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, free of charge, which cover migrant workers, as well as displaced persons on the western border of the country, underscoring Thailand’s long humanitarian tradition.

The Thai Red Cross Society and its network partners provide the proactive COVID–19 vaccination rollout for displaced persons at the Ban Mae La Temporary Shelter, Mae La Sub district, Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province
Source: Thai Red Cross Society Website

In addition to the vaccination drive, Thai Red Cross officials and volunteers open community kitchens in various parts of the country. The aim is to alleviate people’s hardships from the pandemic by setting up temporary kitchens in public areas in various provinces in a continuous effort to distribute aid to as many people as possible.

                  “…The mission of the Thai Red Cross Society is not only to assist people in society who should receive assistance, but is related to assisting people who are in distress in general, whereby work is truly undertaken for humanitarianism. We see it as the duty for all human beings to help their fellow human beings and those who work at the Thai Red Cross Society understand this mission very well…”

                   Words spoken by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who has served as the Executive Vice President of the Thai Red Cross Society since 1977 and has continued the Society’s legacy of humanitarianism, especially the sense of duty and compassion towards fellow human beings, and has integrated community service into everyday lives.

                 As the Thai Red Cross Society under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King celebrated its 129th anniversary on 26 April 2022, it continues to expand and strengthen its humanitarian operations and to nurture the spirit of community service with faith in the power of kindness in Thai society.

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Dr. Tej Bunnag is the Secretary-General of the Thai Red Cross Society and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. A former career diplomat, he served as Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador of Thailand at Beijing, Geneva, Paris, and Washington, D.C. He was a Government Scholar and studied history at Cambridge and Oxford University in the UK.