123rd Commemoration of King Chulalongkorn’s Visit to Ragunda, Sweden

123rd Commemoration of King Chulalongkorn’s Visit to Ragunda, Sweden

On 19 July 2020, Mrs. Kanchana Patarachoke, Ambassador-Designate of Thailand to Sweden, together with embassy staffs, participated in the 123rd commemoration of King Chulalongkorn’s visit to Ragunda, at the Thai Pavillion in Ragunda. The ceremony was organized by the municipality of Ragunda. Many Thais and Swedes also joined this event.Ambassador delivered a brief remark expressing appreciation to the municipality of Ragunda for organizing the event and also greeting fellow Thais and Swedes. Ambassador highlighted the importance of King Chulalongkorn’s visit to Sweden. King Chulalongkorn is known among Thais as Somdej Phra Piya Maharaj which means the beloved Great King. He was well loved for his commitment to promoting equality, social openness and transparency, bureaucratic and financial system reform in Thailand. Those values are also held dear in Sweden. The relationship between Thailand and Sweden has been based on our mutual exchange of values and knowledges.

At present, the Embassy focuses on promoting the exchange of knowledge between Thailand and Sweden, particularly, on innovation, sustainable development, and forestry.Ambassador also emphasized the importance of having resilient Thai communities both in Thailand and in Sweden which will support Thais to weather through crises, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19. Ambassador also urged everyone to be good citizens of both Thailand and Sweden and to play their parts to contribute to the societies. On the same occasion, Mr. Mikael Westin, Mayer of Ragunda Municipality, mentioned about the ongoing exchange of knowledge between Thailand and Sweden since the visit of King Chulalongkorn that he hopes for the next generation to continue a closer tie of knowledge exchange for further development.In addition, Ragunda municipality hosted a luncheon for the Embassy’s delegation during which both sides discussed ways to look after the Thai pavilion through cooperation between governments, public and private sectors in order to preserve this historical memorial in a sustainable way.

After the ceremony, Ambassador and the Embassy’s staffs had paid a visit to Buddharam Temple to attend the temple’s ceremony dedicated to King Chulalongkorn and pay respect to Buddha’s relic. The delegation also had the opportunity to visit Piyadhammaram Temple in Ragunda.