Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva also attends in his capacity as President of the National Scout Council of Thailand
Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva greets Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustav of
Sweden and Queen Silvia on their arrival.
Story and Photos by
Pattaya Mail reporters
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Scouting in
Thailand the National Scout Association of Thailand organized many
activities throughout the year to celebrate this historic milestone.
The celebrations culminated with a gala dinner held at
the Swissotel Nai Lert Park on February 10, presided over by His Majesty
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the Honorary Chairman of the World Scout
Foundation and Her Majesty Queen Silvia.
Sutham
Phanthusak escorts Their Majesties to the gala function.
HE Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, President of the
National Scout Council of Thailand along with hundreds of dignitaries and
guests were also in attendance.
Before the gala dinner, invited guests assembled in a
stately chamber where a special ceremony was held to honor and thank staunch
supporters of the Scout movement in Thailand.
The ceremonies were conducted by Sutham Phanthusak,
Chairman of the Advisory Board of the National Scout Council of Thailand who
presented Their Majesties with an anniversary pin to commemorate the 100th
year of Thai Scouting.
Their Majesties in turn presented the pins to HE Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Shinaworn Boonyakiat, Minister of Education,
Korn Chatikavanij, Minister of Finance and other supporters from the public
and private sector.
Sutham
Phanthusak presents Their Majesties with an anniversary pin to commemorate
the 100th year of Thai Scouting.
In his keynote speech, His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav
of Sweden congratulated Thailand’s Scouting program on reaching a “mature
age” and said he was very impressed by all what the Scouts have
accomplished.
“You excelled as host of the World Scout Jamboree in
2002, which was very smooth and professional. As Sweden is hosting the World
Jamboree this summer, I hope we can match your standards,” HM the King said.
“We also appreciated your tremendous engagement following the tsunami
disaster. The queen and I visited Thailand soon after that tragic event and
we were overwhelmed by how the Scouts contributed wonderfully in supporting
so many of the victims.
Sutham
Phanthusak (left) leads Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Shinaworn
Boonyakiat, (right) Minister of Education to the ceremonial ballroom.
“Another impressive moment was when we joined you at the
opening of the blind Scout group in Pattaya. I really enjoyed meeting these
youngsters with their great ambitions. Thank you for your care and support.
“Scouting is the same in most countries. Namely, it
contributes to train young people’s leadership. It fills them with the
necessary energy and prepares them for the future,” HM the King said. “It is
an extremely useful training for leadership in government, business, the
community or in the family. And above all, it helps young people believe in
themselves. To enjoy the challenges that lie before them and to deal with
any problem they meet.”
HM the
King of Sweden congratulates the Thai Scouts on their 100th anniversary.
His Majesty noted that he became a Scout at an early age
and remains one now. He said he continues to support Scouting as he has seen
“the impact it has on young people throughout the world.”
“Together we will help more young people make our world a
better one. Happy Birthday, Scouting Thailand! I wish you good luck in the
future. We look forward to the amazing things you will do in the next 100
years!”
In his speech entitled, “Scout Activities: Education for
Life” Prime Minister Abhisit said, “Scout activities in Thailand were
initiated on 1 July 1911 by His Majesty King Vajiravudh. In recognition of
this legacy, the brother and sister Scouts regard him as the ‘Father of Thai
Scouting’.
“From then to the present day, under the patronage of our
present Chief Scout, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Scout activities
have continued to flourish and are very well received by the Thai people. We
have seen the movement expand rapidly in schools and in communities.
Therefore, it gives me great joy to see such strong support for this gala
dinner, which is a testimony to the fact that Scout activities have touched
many lives here in Thailand.
PM
Abhisit speaks on the topic ‘Scout Activities: Education for Life’.
“Over the years, the National Scout Organization of
Thailand (NSOT) has worked very hard to develop Scout programs and to
maintain the relevance of Scout activities in society today.”
PM Abhisit also highlighted the importance of Scout
activities that have equipped Boy and Girl Scouts with life skills which
cannot be taught in a classroom. “Skills such as pioneering, hiking, and
camping are not just child’s play, but they also teach young people how to
adapt to challenges and overcome obstacles,” said the Prime Minister. These
are also life-long skills that can continue to be used in adulthood.
HE Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva receives a commemorative pin from HM the King of
Sweden.
“Scout activities also promote leadership and character
building which would help children become confident and self-fulfilled, and
grow up to be responsible adults.
“Through Scout activities, children can also learn to
have compassion and care for the environment and other people. This can be
seen from the involvement of Scouts when the tsunami struck the coastal
countries in 2004 including Thailand. Then, Scouts went down to the affected
areas and helped youths to regain their lives.”
The Prime Minister, in closing, congratulated the Thai
Scout movement for the first 100 years and commended Scouts for their
contributions to the country.
His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden presented a
contribution to support the Thai Scout movement asking Prime Minister
Abhisit to present it to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion
of His Majesty’s 84th birthday this year.
HM the
King of Sweden presents the commemorative pin to Sutham,
Orawan and Darin Phanthusak.
Their
Majesties King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden and Queen Silvia pose for a group
photograph with HE Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Shinaworn Boonyakiat,
Minister of Education, Korn Chatikavanij, Minister of Finance and other
supporters of the Scout movement from the public and private sector.
HM the
King of Sweden presents a contribution to support the Thai Scout movement to
Prime Minister Abhisit for presentation to His Majesty the King of Thailand.
Jan Olav
Aamlid receives the commemorative pin and presents their Majesties with a
framed newspaper clipping from The Times Weekly dated 8 August 1935 which
depicted a photograph of His Majesty’s father Prince Gustav Adolf, horse
riding together with Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement.
Pattaya
supporters of the scout movement were also in attendance. (L to R) Tore
Juell, Jan Olav Aamlid with his two sons Mathew and Kevin, Tan Juell,
Suthamma ‘Mieow’ Aamlid, Mae Mahaphaisan, Pratheep Malhotra, Sakchai
Ounjittikul and Alisa Phanthusak.
