The Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office will organize various activities, as part of the celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 82nd birthday anniversary on August 12th, 2014.
Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office M.L. Panadda Diskul said the activities would take place at the Ambara Gardens and the Royal Plaza in Bangkok on August 9 and 10, 2014.
Among the activities are demonstrations of craft-making by the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORT), khon performances, a light and sound presentation, and a candle-lit tribute paying ceremony. A small garden will be arranged as a model food bank at the ceremonial ground.
Furthermore, there will be a casting of a Buddha image in accordance with Her Majesty’s day of birth to commemorate Her Majesty’s seventh cycle, or 84th, birthday anniversary. Cash donations from the public will be used to build the Buddha images, which will be completed by 2016, in time for the celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen’s 84th birthday.
Throughout the more than 60 years of His Majesty the King’s reign, Her Majesty the Queen has always stood by his side, working actively and tirelessly to improve the life of the people. On her numerous travels across the country to visit local people, she has made close contact with the true living conditions of her subjects and learned much about the Thai people in rural areas.
In July 1976, Her Majesty established the SUPPORT Foundation to form women’s groups, and provided them with equipment, materials, and training in cottage industries. With sufficient training, farmers are able to produce high-quality crafts. Most of the crafts are indigenous to the areas where the projects have been set up and use locally available raw materials.
Apart from benefiting craft makers and their families, SUPPORT plays a part in reviving traditional crafts and preserving them. Moreover, it helps strengthen the role and status of women in their community.
Her Majesty the Queen has also played a vital role in preserving the khon masked drama, which was falling into decline. Since 2009, the SUPPORT Foundation, at the command of Her Majesty the Queen, has organized khon performances at the Thailand Cultural Center in Bangkok. Young performers have been selected from colleges of dramatic arts and other institutes across the country.
Her Majesty the Queen has also initiated a community food bank project, in an effort to create more food sources to ensure food security. The community food bank has contributed to the implementation of other projects, including model farms currently operating across the country, employing a great number of local people, and producing nutritious and safe food products.
