Her Majesty Queen Sirikit Performing Royal Duties in the Northern Region

Between March 9 - April 3, 2002, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit temporarily resided at Bhubhing Palace, Chiang Mai Province, to follow up on the progress of the activities under the Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques Project. During this trip, Her Majesty the Queen graciously visited the local people living in the remote areas as well as granted initiatives on solving the problem and guidelines for further works.

Her Majesty the Queen also went to visit and kept abreast of other projects including the Conservation of Forest Area Project at Om Koi District, Chiang Mai Province; the Development Project for the Connecting Areas of the Districts of Muang, Muang Paan, and Jae Hom, Lampang Province; the Royally-initiated Thai Hilltribe Village Settlement Project (Border Guard Village), Pang Ma Pha District, Mae Hong Son Province; the Royally-initiated Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Knowledge Demonstration and Transfer Station, Baan Lee Saw Paek Sam, Mae Hong Son Province; the Royally-initiated Forest Development Project, Chiang Mai Province, etc.

On the visit to the Royally-initiated Pang Tong Highland Service and Development Project, Mae Hong Son Province, Her Majesty also observed the work of the members of the Royally-initiated Community Food Bank Project, as well as the work under the Propagation and Raising of Blyth’s Mountain Frogs (Rana blythii) Under the Natural Condition Project, before releasing the frogs back to nature.

Her Majesty also stopped by to visit the model farm projects, namely, the Royally-initiated Baan Mae Tungting Model Farm Project, Sa Moeng District and the Royally-initiated Baan Khuntae Model Farm Project, Chom Thong District, Chiang Mai Province. She had the opportunity to observe various activities including wheat farming and products made from wheat; raising of Yi Liang ducks, Muscovy ducks, laying ducks, geese and turkeys; raising of Jinhua swine and products made from Jinhua swine; raising of wild boars, barking deers, hog deers, rabbits and goats; cultivation of mulberry and coffee; making of mulberry wine; as well as mushroom culture. The success of the model farms will not only become the source of food production which farmers can manage by themselves, but it will also serve as another center for transferring successful agricultural knowledge.

Her Majesty the Queen also observed the products made by members under the Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques Project and the processed products carried out under the Royal Development Projects in Mae Hong Son Province; and the products made by members of Baan Mae Tungting Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques Project from such groups as the carving group, the weaving group, and the knife-making group. Her Majesty also visited the ceramic-making training plant within the area of the Development Project for the Connecting Areas of Muang Paan District, Lampang Province. Here Her Majesty traveled by the royal boat to observe the lives of the riparians along both banks of Nam Pai Stream, Mae Hong Son Province.

Furthermore, Her Majesty the Queen graciously presented gifts to the concerned officials, items to the local people in each village she visited, and a solar-powered water pump to the head of Baan Huai Poo Ling Village, Muang District, Mae Hong Son Province.

The royal duties Her Majesty the Queen performed in following up on the progress of various Royal Development Projects and consistently visiting the villagers, especially in the remote areas, to check on their living conditions, were out of unquestionable concern and compassion to ensure that her people are living happily and with a better quality of life.

On June 5, 2002, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn traveled to the Kung Krabean Bay Royal Development Study Center, Tha Mai District, Chantaburi Province, to observe the work implementation of the Center and inaugurate the Marine Aquarium Honoring His Majesty the King’s Sixth Cycle Birthday Anniversary and the Sirindhorn Child Development Center 6. At the Center, Her Royal Highness was welcomed by Mr. Amphol Senanarong, Privy Councilor; Mr. Palakorn Suwanrath, Privy Councilor; Mr.Witthaya Phinthapaet; Governor of Chantaburi Province; Mr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Member and Secretary-General of the Chaipattana Foundation; Mr. Panthep Klanarongran, Member and Treasurer of the Chaipattana Foundation and Secretary-General of the Royal Development Projects Board; and the officials from the agencies concerned.

“The Marine Aquarium Honoring His Majesty the King’s Sixth Cycle Birthday Anniversary” is a name graciously given by His Majesty the King. Located in the area of Laem Sadej Beach, Klong Khut Subdistrict, Tha Mai District, Chantaburi Province, the aquarium was established to honor the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s 72nd Birthday Anniversary in 1998. It consists of 36 aquariums exposing 4 kinds of marine fish: economic marine fish, ornamental marine fish, marine fish living near corals, and marine fish with unusual shapes and features. The Aquarium serves as a center of knowledge on marine life’s ecological system and habitats where school and university students as well as general public can visit.

The Sirindhorn Child Development Center 6, also situated in the area of Laem Sadej Beach and established to celebrate the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s 72nd Birthday Anniversary, is aimed to help share the burden of taking care of pre-school children of the officials working at the Center and the people. The center accepts children between 3-6 years to prepare them for elementary education level. The children are fed with foods full of nutrients and milk to strengthen their health.

The work implementation of the Center which emphasizes study, experimentation, research, and demonstration of the development and conservation of coastal environment; promotion of tiger prawn (Penaepsis monoceros) farming by using sea water irrigation; conservation and collection of mangrove trees; and development work to help uplift the quality of life of poor people by supporting formation of 46 occupation groups.

For the past 20 years since the establishment of the Kung Krabean Bay Royal Development Study Center, the environmental conditions in the area of Kung Krabean Bay and the people’s quality of life have improved. The people have been instilled with a sense of possession and cooperation for making valuable use of the natural resources. The implementation of the center serves as a good model for the agencies concerned in the development work, the local leaders, and the people to observe and apply the methods on their own areas.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Performing Royal Duties in the Southern Region

Between June 13-14, 2002, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn traveled to the southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla to follow up on the work progress of the implementations by the Border Patrol Police Schools such as the Occupational Training Project; the Agriculture for Lunch Project of Somboonsart School, Yaha District, Yala Province; Baan Pluk Pla School, Muang District, Narathiwat Province; Sue Muan Chon Keela Border Patrol Police School; Baan Ba Roy Border Patrol Police School; and Baan Thung Sabai Jai Border Patrol Police School, Sadao District, Songkhla Province. Her Royal Highness also visited the library, the learning tools room, the preschool room, the iodine-added drinking water booth, the cafeteria, the kitchen, and the first-aid room. On this occasion, Her Royal Highness granted guidelines and graciously presented items to the teachers of Border Patrol Police Schools, student caretakers, and student representatives. She also gave fruit tree varieties to the people from different areas. On this trip, Her Royal Highness brought along a mobile medical team to check up on the local people’s health and kindly accepted the poor patients under her patronage.

Between June 19-20, 2002, H.E. Mr. Ampol Senanarong, Privy Councilor and Member of the Chaipattana Foundation, together with Mr. Panthep Klanarongran, Member and Deputy Treasurer of the Chaipattana Foundation and Secretary-General of the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board (ORDPB), including the officials from the ORDPB, went to observe the implementation of the Pikun Thong Royal Development Study Center, Ka Lu Wor Nuer Subdistrict, Muang District, Narathiwat Province. At the Center, Mr. Apichart Jongskul, Director of the Pikun Thong Royal Development Study Center, welcomed the delegation and briefed on the progress of the Project.

First, Mr. Apichart led the delegation to observe and follow up the progress of various activities of the Center. The activities included the research study on acid soil management to support various patterns of crop cultivation such as integrated farming of fruit crops with field crops and vegetables; the New Theory demonstration plot, the model of soil and water management for agricultural purposes which farmers can suitably apply to the condition of their own land; the Plant Genetics Conservation Project According to the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn; the experiment of using palm oil to replace diesel oil in which a small-scaled palm oil extraction and processing plant was built to conduct a study and an experiment; as well as commercial sogo cultivation and the study of using Lepironia artculata as roofing materials.

Later, the delegation proceeded to follow up and observe the work implementation of the research study on swamp forest at Sirindhorn Center for Research and Study on the Nature of Swamp Forests, Su-ngai Kolok District, Narathiwat Province. Located in the area of Toh Daeng Swamp Forest, this Center is established in 1990 to honor the auspicious occasion of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Third Cycle Birthday Anniversary. Then the delegation visited the Model Farm Project, Muang District, Narathiwat Province, which is regarded as a model place where people are hired to work while having the opportunity to practice various agricultural techniques, and as an important food source for Narathiwat Province. Afterwards, the delegation moved to visit the Royally-initiated Peat Soil Area Development Project at Baan Yuyo, Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province, which is a branch of the Pikun Thong Royal Development Study Center. The activities of the Project involve digging of ditches for cultivation of field and fruit crops, and soil improvement for rice cultivation.

The implementation undertaken to fulfill the Royal initiatives at the Pikun Thong Royal Development Study Center not only serves a model which the government agencies and the people can apply to suit their works and ways of life, but also brings about sustainable happiness to the people.