Sirindhorn

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Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Princess of Thailand
House House of Mahidol
Chakri Dynasty
Father King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
Mother Queen Sirikit
Born 2 April 1955 (1955-04-02) (age 54)
Bangkok, Thailand
Religion Theravada Buddhism
Royal Family of Thailand
Emblem of the House of Chakri

HM The King
HM The Queen
v • d • e

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn[1] (b. April 2, 1955) is the second daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. She is a member of the Thai Royal Family. She is styled "Her Royal Highness" (Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าลูกเธอ เจ้าฟ้าสิรินธรเทพรัตนสุดา กิติวัฒนาดุลโสภาคย์). Thais commonly refer to her as Phra Thep (Thai: พระเทพ), meaning "princess angel."

She was invested with the title “Somdet Phra Theprat Ratsuda Chao Fa Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Ratthasima Khunakon Piyachat Sayam Borommaratchakumari” (Thai: สมเด็จพระเทพรัตนราชสุดา เจ้าฟ้ามหาจักรีสิรินธร รัฐสีมาคุณากรปิยชาติ สยามบรมราชกุมารี; is equivalent to the British title of The Princess Royal) on December 5, 1977. Her title in Thai, according to the royal decree proclaimed in 1977, is not the female equivalent of the title held by her brother, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. As the eldest female child of the royal family (excluding Ubol Ratana, who married a foreign commoner), her position is equivalent to a princess royal.

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[edit] Biography

Sirindhorn, born April 2, 1955, is the third child of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. Sirindhorn enjoys the widespread admiration of the Thai people and is considered her father's intellectual successor. She spends much of her time helping her father with his various projects and has never married.

[edit] Education

Sirindhorn attended kindergarten to upper secondary levels at Chitralada School. She ranked first in the National School Examinations in the primary level (grade 7) in 1967, first in upper secondary level (grade 12) in 1972 and fourth in the National University Entrance Examination.

She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History (First Class Honor, Gold Medal) from Chulalongkorn University in 1976, and a Master of Arts in Oriental Epigraphy (Sanskrit and Cambodian) from Silpakorn University in 1978 with the thesis entitled 'The Inscriptions Found at Prasad Bnam Run (Prasat Phnom Rung)'. She also obtained a Master of Arts in Pali and Sanskrit from Chulalongkorn University in 1980 with the thesis entitled 'Dasaparami in Theravada Buddhism'.

HRH Princess Sirindhorn also obtained doctor of philosophy in educational development from Srinakharinwirot University in 1986 with the thesis entitled 'Development of an Innovative Design for the Instruction of Thai Language at the Upper Secondary School Level'.

[edit] Works

In Thailand, she is often referred to as the "Princess of Technology" or the "Princess of Information Technology", due to her interest and expertise in applying science for the country's development.

Besides her passion for technology, she holds degrees in history and a doctorate in Educational Development. She speaks fluent English, French, and Chinese,in addition to Thai, and is currently studying German and Latin. Princess Sirindhorn has a very good background in Chinese culture, as well as other oriental cultures. In recent years, she has paid many visits to China, both officially and privately, for her studies of the Chinese language and culture.

An accomplished musician, she plays the trumpet and several Thai traditional instruments, including the ranat (xylophone) and saw duang.[2] She also teaches at the History Department of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, where she is the nominal head of the department.

[edit] Awards

She received many awards and recognition. Some of them are:

Year Award Awarder
1991 The Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service[3]
2000 Chinese Language and Culture Friendship Award
2001 Understanding and Friendship International Literature Award Chinese Literature Foundation of Chinese Writers Association
2004 Indira Gandhi Prize
2004 International Education Leadership Award The Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania

[edit] Honorary Degrees

Year Field Academy
1981 Thai Chiang Mai University
1989 Geography Chiang Mai University
1991 Chinese Studies of Humane Letters Thammasat University
1991 Agriculture Prince of Songkla University
1991 Agriculture Khon Kaen University
1997 Botany Chiang Mai University
2001 Chinese Peking University
2000 Pharmacy Srinakharinwirot University
2001 Information Technology Burapha University
2002 Rural Technology Thammasat University
2002 Public Health Burapha University
2003 Chinese Burapha University
2004 Humane Letters Bay Path College
2004 Regional Development Strategies Rajabhat Ubon Ratchathani University
2005 Environmental Science Thammasat University
2007 Veterinary Medicine Chulalongkorn University
2009 Physics Suranaree University of Technology
2009 Laws University of the Philippines Los Baños[4]

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has accepted the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador title for the "Empowerment of Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of Their Intangible Cultural Heritage." UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura conferred this title on 24 March 2005.

[edit] Honors

Because of her interest in foreign cultures, technology, conservation and education, there are a number of academic and research institutions in Thailand which have been granted permission to use her name, such as

Scholarships:

The University of Liverpool, England introduced a prestigious new scholarship in honour of HRH Princess Sirindhorn.

One full scholarship will be awarded annually to enable a Thai student to study at Liverpool to complete a one-year taught Masters programme.

Eligibility The scholarship is open to all subjects offered a one-year taught Masters programme, however priority will be given to those students who wish to study in a subject area associated with HRH Princess Sirindhorn such as science, IT, medicine, the arts, geography, history and languages.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must

Be a Thai national Already hold an offer to study a one-year taught Masters programme at the University of Liverpool

Also places:

Several fauna species are named after her, including

Numerous plant species also have been named after her, including the Sirindhornia spp. (Orchids):

Other plant species includes

[edit] External links

Royal cypher of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Styles of
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
Female Royalty's Standard of Thailand.svg
Reference style Her Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Royal Highness
Alternative style Ma'am
Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Biography of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn"
  2. ^ Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Thai Classical Music
  3. ^ The 1991 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service
  4. ^ The University of the Philippines will confer the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa on Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Tuesday at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UP-Los Baños), Laguna, for her achievements as a global leader in sustaining rural and agricultural development and in promoting education and science to improve the lives of farming communities in Asia and the world. Source: http://rdenews.uplb.edu.ph/index.php/breaking-news/86-news/179-up-confers-honorary-doctor-of-laws-on-thai-princess
  5. ^ Sirindhorn Observatory
  6. ^ Princess Sirindhorn Neutron Monitor
  7. ^ THAI FOREST BULLETIN (BOTANY)

http://www.swu.ac.th/en/content/history.asp

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