Prominent lawyer and Past Rotary International District 3340 Governor Premprecha Dibbayawan celebrated his 79th birthday with a party at Prem’s Garden Restaurant on Soi Siam Country Club.
The managing director of Jural Law and council member at Assumption Church threw the party June 15, four days ahead of his actual birthday, to jointly celebrate with daughters-in-law Oranut Dibbayawan, who was born June 13, and Suramon Dibbayawan, whose birthday was June 16. They are 48 and 45, respectively.
The celebration also commemorated the 52nd wedding anniversary of Premprecha and Supanee Dibbayawan who were wed on June 18, 1966.
Friends, business colleagues and local politicians assembled at the Prem Garden restaurant on Soi Siam Country Club for the soiree. Guests enjoyed a variety of food and beverages and the birthday celebrants received lots of presents.
Rev. Philip Adisak Porn-gnam, pastor at the St. Nikolaus Church, officiated at the revelry giving his blessings to the trio, wishing them a healthy and happy year ahead.
‘Pa Prem’ as he is affectionately known, was born the 7th of 9 children in a Catholic family in Bangkok. He was also known as “Lang” – a nickname he was given at school because of his Thai/European heritage (on both sides) giving him his clear blue eyes and “falang” looks.
As a child he studied at Assumption School in Sriracha, after which he was enrolled in the Assumption School in Bangkok.
Even after he finished school, he did not really entertain the idea of tertiary education, and it was a classmate who enrolled him into the Thammasat Open University. He passed the entrance examination and commenced a law course. However, it was not plain sailing for the young Prem. Financial considerations dictated that he must work as well and he took a job as a steward in Thai International Airways.
Supanee, lovingly known as ‘Paen’, is the 6th child in her family. She studied at Assumption Convent in Bangrak, finishing her high school studies at Triam Udom Sueksa School. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and Accounting from Chulalongkorn University.
It could be said that he ‘flew through his studies’ but balancing married life, work and university was not easy. The circuitous route took seven years, but Prem was rewarded with his LLB degree and with high grades, enough to see him accepted at the University of Miami in America where he earned his Master’s degree.
Premprecha started his professional career in 1965 as a legal advisor to many long-established law firms in Bangkok. Before joining the Kamthorn Surachet and Somsak firm as a senior lawyer, he was head of the Legal Department of Laem Thong Bank Public Co. (presently known as UOB Radanasin Public Co.).
His first law office was located in Soi 6 when Pattaya City Hall was located there. The company was registered on Oct. 2, 1986 under the name PBM Law Real Estate and Service Co. On June 29, 1987, the company was renamed Jural Law Co. But as the population of Pattaya grew so did the need for a “one stop service” for legal and notary services. On Dec. 8, 1989, Puvana Co. Ltd. was born.
In 2001, Puvana Co. Ltd. moved to larger premises on Thepprasit Road, together with Swiss business partners under the Swisssiam Services Co. Ltd. banner.
Prem and Paen are now in their 70s and in between their service to the church and charity work in the community, the couple are still very active in the Jural Law and Accounting firm on Thepprasit Road.
Success for this hard-working couple is the ability to be of service to others. This way of thinking they ascribe to their upbringing as young Catholics, where these values were instilled into them.
Prem keeps saying that he would like to retire, “But I am not sure I could sit at home and do nothing.”
We do not believe there would be any chance of that either! May God bless the benevolent Dibbayawan family with many more years of good health and happiness.
