Chief Judge of Pattaya Provincial Court
Suphian Jungkriangkrai presides over the commemoration day for Prince
Rapee Pattanasak, the Father of Thai Law and leads officials in wreaths
laying at the monument.
Manoon Makpol
Chief Justice Suphian Jungkriangkrai saluted the
father of the Thai justice system in this year’s Rapee Day ceremony in
Pattaya.
At the Aug. 4 ceremony at Pattaya Provincial Court -
three days before the actual holiday - Suphian lit candles and incense
in honor of the three gems, along with 10 Buddhist monks. Monks chanted
before a speech about Rapee and the Thai justice system.
Rapee Day is named after the father of the Thai
courts, Prince Rapee Pattanasak. The 14th son of King Chulalongkorn, he
founded the country’s first law school and promoted the systemization of
land-title deeds and ownership. The holiday commemorates the day he
died.
Rapee was born Oct. 21, 1874 and studied law at
Christchurch College at Oxford University. Upon returning to Thailand he
became minister of justice at the age 22, a position he held for 14
years. After founding the law school in 1897 he drew up the first
syllabus and taught the students himself.
In 1911, King Rama VI appointed Rapee agriculture
minister. In addition to standardizing land ownership, he created the
Royal Irrigation Department.
The prince fell ill in 1920 and resigned to move to
Paris. He died Aug. 7 the same year. His statue was constructed in front
of the Ministry of Justice and each year law practitioners and the
general public who now live under the law he once wrote pay tribute to
him.
