The Ananda Mahidol Foundation and the Legacy of Rama IX in Thailand

The Ananda Mahidol Foundation aims to support talented young students in fields that will contribute greatly to the development of Thailand.

Founded in 1955 by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX of Thailand, the Ananda Mahidol Foundation has supported and sponsored outstanding young students from Thailand to pursue higher education abroad in eight fields of study.

These fields include medicine, science, engineering, social sciences, arts and humanities, agriculture, dentistry, and veterinary medicine, all essential to Thailand's sustainable development.

For nearly seven decades, graduates of this foundation have held various roles and positions in Thai society and advanced the production of knowledge for Thailand.

Dr. Rattana Lao, a trained educator and Social Science Foundation laureate, interviewed Dr. Jain Charnnarong, a veteran mechanical engineer and president of the Ananda Mahidol Alumni Club, about the Foundation, the late king's philosophy, and its significance for Thailand's future.

The inspiration of the Ananda Mahidol Foundation

The origin of the foundation dates back to the late king's desire to honor the memory of his elder brother and the advice given to His Majesty to do something for education.

Due to the dire needs of the nation, the first scholarships were awarded to two medical students: Professor Charas Suwanwela and Professor Prawase Wasi.

Since then, nearly 400 students from eight different disciplines have received the scholarship.

Each scholarship recipient excels in their field and dedicates their lives to improving society.

Today, it is important for us, as a Foundation, to reflect on our role in society and to think critically about how we can work together in unity.

We need to think about what the country needs and focus on that.

Example of development problem in Thailand

The environmental issue is the main problem.

Two years ago, Professor Charan Mahatummaratana, then president of the Ananda Mahidol Alumni Club, asked me about the PM2.5 problem in Thailand.

There are two main reasons for the air pollution problem: the burning of fossil fuels and open forest fires.

See also: Fighting Thailand's deadly air pollution

As long as Bangkok still relies on personal car transportation, there is little we can do about fossil fuels.

We must wait for the transformation of society towards more public transport and the use of alternative energy sources.

Another problem is forest fires.

They are caused by people's ignorance and carelessness.

Sometimes farmers want to burn post-harvest materials on their land for a rai or two, but this spreads into the forest, reaching 100,000 rai of fires.

Some forest fires last continuously for months and villagers suffer from air pollution.

The involvement of the Ananda Mahidol Foundation in solving development problems

It all began in the village of Baan Kor, in Lamphun Province, northern Thailand, where our Foundation's work serves as a sandbox.

A few of us went to the village to do some research to understand the plight of Baan Kor.

There were engineers, scientists and botanists.

Botanists enlightened the team on the complex relationships between different species in the forest, particularly between plants and mycorrhizae .

The main question is how we can live in harmony with the forest, how man can mitigate intrusion into the forest and limit environmental degradation.

Baan Kor's Sandbox and the Philosophy of the Late King

The root cause of forest invasion is poverty.

The villagers need to eat.

They need to survive.

During the summer, most of the villagers are unemployed and depend on the forest for their livelihood.

They may want to burn one or two rai, but the fire reached 100,000 rai through negligence.

This is the cause of the fire.

The visit to Baan Kor reminded us all of the late king's philosophy on sustainable development.

See: Self-sufficiency economy in Thailand, the gift of Rama IX

Better management of water, soil and market access is needed.

Our study on Baan Kor shows that there is sufficient water in the forest: both above and below ground, but there is a lack of a water management system.

The state must invest to ensure that villagers have sustainable water infrastructure.

His Majesty, the late King of Thailand, spoke extensively about sustainable water management.

Throughout her life, Her Majesty completed numerous water-related projects – over 1,000 projects in total.

Water is the first stage of life, for plants as well as for humans.

Without water, there is no food security or life.

The soil is also important.

This is agriculture. Then comes market access.

If a village can maintain the balance between water, soil and market access, while preserving nature, there is hope for sustainable development.

Youth is important

Knowledge production and learning are a big part of the development equation.

We need to educate the new cadre of young people in the village so that they know how to live in harmony with the forest.

At the beginning of the project, we asked the young people what kinds of plants grew in their forest, but they couldn't answer.

It is wrong to believe that people who live with the forest do not understand the forest.

They could not see the relationship between the different living beings in the forest.

They lack basic knowledge and understanding of the forest.

We have to change that. We have to re-educate them.

We need to show them the links between forest fires, environmental degradation and poverty.

It is essential to integrate this knowledge into the school system so that students become aware of the impact of their actions.

If we can do this, we can hopefully begin to tackle the problem of climate change.

It all starts with young people.

See also:

Renewable energy: a Thai village uses cow dung to light its homes!

Reimagining Thailand with a Green Bio-Circular Economy

Thailand's self-sufficient economy, a fundamental legacy

Source: Modern Diplomacy