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A call for education reform
on National Teacher’s Day
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Calling education the “motor that will drive the nation’s progress,”
Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome honored and encouraged more than 1,000
Pattaya teachers to reform Thailand’s educational system at a National
Teacher’s Day celebration at the Pattaya Indoor Stadium.
 Mayor
Itthiphol Kunplome pays respect to his teacher Bubpa Puttharaksa of
Suankulab Wittayalai School.
“It’s important to develop and reform the educational system to adjust to
the current world environment,” the mayor said at the Jan. 16 event. “This
needs to be done to ensure Thai youth are quality human resources for the
country. For it to succeed requires teachers’ cooperation to create quality
education.”
Itthiphol also paid respect to his former teacher Bubpa Puttharaksa of
Suankulab Wittayalai School with a special blessing. Shrines were then
distributed to the best and favorite teachers of the year and Santhaya
Supakorntanasorn of Pattaya School No. 5 was honored as school principal of
the year.
 Mayor
Itthiphol Kunplome presents the award for the best school principal to
Santhaya Supakorntanasorn from Pattaya School No. 5.
Other prizes included the “Chawan-Wannee Wannasri” award established by the
Sattabonkot Group in 2005 that encourages people in education to work hard
and make sacrifices for society. The best Buddhism Support Teacher Award
this year went to Chanyarat Kanchanabut, former principal of Pattaya School
No. 3, while the Best Intellectual Pattern in a Hotelier School Award went
to Sopin Thappajug, head of the Diana Group.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
presents the best Buddhism Support Teacher Award to Chanyarat Kanchanabut,
former principal of Pattaya School No. 3.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
presents the Best Intellectual Pattern
in a Hotelier School Award to Sopin Thappajug, head of the Diana Group.
Catholic ‘healer’ lays hands on 100 at St. Nikolaus
Elfi Seitz and Vimolrat Singnikorn
Photos by Heidi Glemeau
Crowds of ailing Catholics turned out again at St. Nikolaus Church in
Pattaya to welcome back a Filipino priest who for two decades has celebrated
masses around the world for people who believe he can heal their illnesses
with just a touch of his hand.
 Fr.
Corsie Legaspi (left) heals the attending patients.
Rev. Corsie Legaspi from the Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Rosario,
Cavite held his healing ceremony and mass Jan. 13. Parishioners with
everything from cancerous tumors to sore limbs turned out, looking for a
miracle.
Bishop Lawrence Thienchai, who hosted the mass, stressed that it wasn’t
Father Legaspi himself that could heal people but that the priest was merely
a conduit between the infirm and the power of God.
The cancer patients were first in line. Legaspi touched their foreheads and
many collapsed, whether through mere fainting or from “resting in the
spirits” as believers in Charismatic sect members believe. They were laid on
the floor and awoke shortly after.
 Fr.
Thienchai Samanchit (left) performs the Liturgy of the Eucharist during the
mass.
Father Legaspi’s “specialty” is dealing with “frozen” limbs. People who
claimed to be unable to move raise their arms or legs found themselves again
able to move after a touch from the famous “healer.” At times Father Legaspi
picked people from the audience to help him touch the ill and heal them.
Each time a formerly infirm parishioner moved again the crowd broke into
applause.
 Fr.
Corsie Legaspi relieves a patient from arm pain.
Father Legaspi believes he obtained his ability in 1975 after a Charismatic
prayer meeting when people collapsed after he touched them during prayer. He
claims that after a subsequent lengthy prayer his mother, terminally ill
with lung cancer, awoke from her comatose state to walk again. He’s traveled
the world ever since hosting healing ceremonies.
For those that missed the January ceremonies, Father Legaspi will be back in
Pattaya in April.
Charity Club of Pattaya up-dates projects
Christina Boden
The Charity Club were run off their feet before Christmas and the
first part of January, so, over the next few weeks we will give you an
up-date of what we have been doing and where the donated money has and is
still going.
15 year old Sittipong
The Charity Club is still sending high protein food to
15-year-old Sittipong and a second doctor has looked into his weight again,
but unfortunately as before he’s still not putting any weight on. The Dr.’s
have said there is nothing more they can do and they suggest the club carry
on with the high protein food.
 15-year-old
Sittipong still isn’t putting on weight.
He also has a new pushchair as he out grew the other one and the doctors
gave us a recommendation for the one pictured. He now is a lot happier and
more comfortable in this chair even though he doesn’t look it.
They are still trying to find a wheelchair that he doesn’t scream in and
that he feels happy in.
Mr. Butt Geritram and his Family
Mr Butt, his son and daughter were living in a hole covered with
a sheet of corrugated iron when we came across them on a trip to Isaan in
March 2009.
Things have certainly picked up for Mr. Butt and his family since then. He
has a new house which the Charity Club has helped him with; they have added
gutters with a filter system to collect rain water with various pots to
collect the water, provided kitchen equipment, plates, etc., and a bicycle
for Mr. Butt. The Club is also continuing to support the family on the
club’s food programme until Mr. Butt can get a full time job.
Somporn
Somporn was born with both male and female organs, so the club
arranged and paid for them to go to Bangkok to be assessed for an operation
to correct this.
 Mr
Butt says thanks for his new bike.
Somporn has had the first of two operations and has been attending school
with his 6 year old sister in between times, something they didn’t do
before.
Somporn has another appointment on January 18th to see if he has gained
weight and is fit enough for the second of his operations, the Charity Club
will again cover the expenses.
The elderly receive blankets
With the cold weather sweeping in to the North of Thailand we
arranged for a consignment of blankets to be delivered to the elderly.
Pantip
Pantip and her mother have sent us pictures of the buffalo they
have proudly bought and some of the ducks the Charity Club bought.
We have now stopped the 1,000 baht a month as they are now self sufficient
and can carry on alone. The Charity Club will of course keep in contact with
them.
Prosthesis Foundation
The Charity Club is continuing to support the foundation by
collecting drink tabs. The Club would like to thank the P.I.L.C. for their
recent donation and Ron and Yawadee Hall for their constant deliveries!
Anyone who would like to help with a donation of cash, food, clothing,
bedding, children’s clothing and shoes toys and games can contact the
Charity Club at any of the following: Christina on 0895454185, Malcolm on
089 7441040, charityclub
[email protected]
Elderly in Isaan receive
blankets from the Charity Club of Pattaya.
Pantip and her mother sent in
pictures of the buffalo they have proudly bought.
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