The dedication to public service exemplified by King Bhumibol Adulyadej is also found in other members of the Royal Family. Like His Majesty, all work untiringly for the benefit of the country, sometimes participating in projects initiated by the King and sometimes in others of their own. In doing so, all have contributed significantly to the creation of ThailandΓÇÖs modern monarchy.
Queen Sirikit spends as much time travelling as her husband, equally indifferent to discomforts and long hours, and her interest in the welfare of rural people closely parallels his. An area in which she has taken a particularly deep interest is that of finding sources of supplementary income in the off-season or when crops are destroyed by droughts or floods. It was to combat such problems that the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Techniques (known as SUPPORT) was established in 1976 under Her MajestyΓÇÖs patronage, partly through funds supplied by Her Majesty and partly with public donations.
SUPPORTΓÇÖs primary objective is to set up womenΓÇÖs groups and provide rural Thai women with equipment, materials, and training in cottage industries. Among the traditional crafts deemed worthy of being promoted on both local and world markets are embroidery and weaving in the north, a kind of ikat silk called mudmee in the northeast, doll and rattanware making in the central region, and yan lipao, basketry woven of a strong vine that grows in the south. Most of the crafts are indigenous to the areas where the projects have been set up and use readily available raw materials, thus making it easier for families to acquire a second source of income for basic necessitie when emergencies arise.
Besides individual projects in various parts of the country, SUPPORT has established two multi-craft training centres. One is in the compound of Chitrlada Villa, where around 200 students attend classes taught by masters of particular crafts; the other is the Bang Sai Arts and Crafts Centre, located on the Chao Phraya River near the old capital of Ayutthaya, which has an enrollment of around 300. At both, students are given a daily allowance, travelling expenses, and extra pay for the crafts they produce; after training they return to their villages to pass on the skills to others.
The Queen has personally undertaken the promotion of these crafts through trips abroad to meet potential buyers and also by using them prominently in her own wardrobe; mudmee, for example, which was once hardly known outside the region where it was made, is now regarded as one of the most fashionable dress materials in Thailand. The QueenΓÇÖs interest in handicraft development led to the celebration of the Thai Arts and Crafts year in 1989, which featured a wide variety of exhibitions, demonstrations, and other events under the auspices of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
For her work among rural women, Queen Sirikit was awarded the prestigious Ceres Medal by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In 1988, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in Great BritainΓÇÖs 470-year-old Royal College of Physicians, the highest honour the college confers, for her ΓÇ£ deep concern for the health and welfare of the people of Thailand.ΓÇ¥
The QueenΓÇÖs efforts on behalf of the less fortunate members of society were also extended to the refugees from Indochina who came to Thailand in large numbers in the late 1970s. Members of the northern hilltribes have benefited as well and many are attending SUPPORT centres, where they are given new ideas to use in such traditional skills as embroidery and jewellery making.
Sharing the KingΓÇÖs concern over the destruction of the natural environment, the Queen is an active member of the World Wildlife Fund (Thailand) and has worked for years on behalf of conservation of forest areas as a part of watershed development and as a means of helping preserve wild animals, especially those in danger of extinction. To this end, she has actively lent her support to an afforestation project in the northeast and has worked closely with concerned people to protect wildlife habitats.
The Royal Family
Their MajestiesΓÇÖ only son, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, was born in Bangkok in 1952. After completing his primary education in Thailand, His Royal Highness attended secondary school in England and then went to AustraliaΓÇÖs KingΓÇÖs School and University of New South Wales, Faculty of Military Study. After that, he returned to Thailand to take up his duties which, besides serving in the Royal Army, include frequent provincial tours and representing His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej at a wide variety of official functions and ceremonies. Of particular interest to His Royal Highness are the hospitals which were set up in the provinces with funds donated by the public. On several occasions, His Royal Highness has made state visits to foreign countries as His MajestyΓÇÖs representative. Prince Vajiralongkorn was invested as Crown Prince by His Majesty in 1972.
Their Royal Highnesses Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Princess Chulabhorn were born in Bangkok in 1955 and 1957 respectively. Both Princesses received their education in Thailand, from primary school through university.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the first of the Royal Children to attend a local institution of higher learning, received her B.A. degree from the Faculty of Arts of Chulalongkorn University, where she majored in history. She also holds M.A. degrees in Oriental Epigraphy from Silpakorn University as well as Pali-Sanskrit from Chulalongkorn University and a doctorate in Development Education from Srinakharinwirot University. A gifted performer on traditional Thai musical instruments, she regularly accompanies her father on his visits to his provincial projects and assists him in collecting information relevant to the operation.
Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn graduated with a B.Sc. degree from Kasetsart University. A gifted scientist who was awarded the coveted Einstein Gold Medal in 1986, she also holds a doctorate in Organic Chemistry from Mahidol University. In 1987, she set up the Chulabhorn Research Institute to promote scientific research in Thailand, and she has lectured on a number of occasions before academic groups abroad.
Members of the Royal family have always carried out their duties with great efficiency and dedication, lending valuable support to His Majesty in his many tasks of national development. In I978, Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn was bestowed with the new type of title of ΓÇ£Somdech Phra Debaratanarajasuda Chao Fa Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Rathasimagunakornpiyajat Sayamboromrajakumari,ΓÇ¥ in recognition of her services to the throne and to the nation.
