Putting a stamp on it

THAILAND POST has chosen to honour His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej through “9 Royal Wishes of King Rama IX”, an exhibition of postage stamps devoted to the King which have been released over the years. The aim is to encourage Thais to follow in the footsteps of the late monarch.
 “The exhibition is showcasing a rare collection of stamps related to His Majesty the late King belonging to leading Thai stamp collectors,” Samorn Terdthampiboon, president of Thailand Post, told visitors during the opening.

 

His Majesty the late King’s nine royal wishes are reflected through nine stamps, the first of which, “Public Consciousness”, was a gold-coloured stamp worth Bt100 released to mark the Golden Jubilee of His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne in 1996. “The country is the flesh and blood, and the treasure of all Thai people. So, maintaining the country is for everybody, not for no one,” the King said in a speech on his Silver Jubilee ceremony in 1971.
The second is “Honesty” designed to celebrate the Rattanakosin Bicentennial in 1982. Again it is based on His Majesty’s guidance, this time given at the commencement ceremony of Chulalongkorn University students in 1956.

 

 

“To build a successful business must depend on perseverance and honesty as the important foundation in addition to benevolence and benefit the society”.
“Gratitude” is displayed through a stamp priced at Bt9 for His Majesty the King’s sixth cycle birthday anniversary in 1999. “Endeavour” celebrated his 70th birthday in 1997 while “Well-doing” marked His Majesty the King’s 82nd birthday anniversary in 2009. Others in the series include 2007’s “Unity”, “Cultural Conservation” (1999) and “Understand, Achieve and Develop” in 2012.
The ninth, “Sufficiency Economy” was released to celebrate the late King’s birthday anniversary in 2010.

 

“The sufficiency economy philosophy and the new theory can bring the country to prosperity, depending on perseverance and patience. Sufficiency is having enough to get by, and sufficiency economy is producing enough for our needs; making a living by ourselves. If we have enough for our needs, we aren’t greedy,” the |King told an invited audience in 1998.
The exhibition “9 Royal Wishes of King Rama IX” is running in parallel with “Viet Nam Timeless Charm”, which features a stamp jointly issued by Thailand and Vietnam to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Issued on August 5, the stamp depicts the art of puppetry with the Thai puppet on the stamp displaying a scene from the literary work “Phra Mahachanok” written by HM the late king, reflecting “endeavour”, which is one of royal wishes.
Nguyen Tat Thanh, the Vietnamese ambassador to Thailand, joined Samorn Terdthampiboon at the opening of the exhibition, which also featured a performance of “Phra Mahachanok” puppet by Baan Tookkatoon Thai Puppet.
The “Viet Nam Timeless Charm” exhibition presents the many dimensions of our neighbour with the history, tradition, culture, architecture and geography explored through the country’s stamps.

Philatelic Perfection

- The exhibitions continue at the Samsen Nai Philatelic Museum until December 31. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Admission is free.

- For more information, call (02) 831 3722, (02) 271 2439 or check Facebook: Thai Stamp Museum and Line ID: stampinlove.