To commemorate the bicentennial of diplomatic ties between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Thailand, the US government and the US Embassy and Consulate in Thailand have been organising various activities in celebration of the important occasion.
US Ambassador to Thailand Glyn T. Davies last week presented Thailand with US$325,000, or around 10 million baht, from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) to support the second phase of the Wat Chaiwatthanaram Conservation Project in Ayutthaya province via the World Monuments Fund (WMF).
The fund-presentation ceremony was in the presence of WMF director Jeff Allen, Ayutthaya governor Suchin Chaichumsak and Fine Arts Department Director-General Anandha Chuchoti.
Director-General Anandha revealed that this was the third sum of money given by the US government via the AFCP to Thailand for restoring and conserving Wat Chaiwatthanaram, affected by the flooding of 2011. The previous amount, which was obtained in 2013 and 2014, was used in designing flood water prevention walls and surveying and conserving one of the temple’s several old directional crematoriums. The newly received fund will be spent preserving three more directional crematoriums.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram was commissioned in 1630 by King Prasat Thong on the site of his former residence as a way to make merit for his mother. This old royal temple has architectural similarities to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It served as the grounds of the royal crematoriums for bodies of almost all kings and high-ranking royals of Ayutthaya Kingdom. Its design represents the universe according to old religious beliefs.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram Conservation Project in Ayutthaya.Photo courtesy of the Fine Arts Department
According to the US ambassador to Thailand, the US also supports the conservation of mural paintings at Wat Suthat in Bangkok, Lanna architecture in the northern province of Phrae and Thai Islamic heritage in the South of Thailand.
In addition, the US Embassy and Consulate in Thailand will host the “Great And Good Friends” exhibition from March 20 to June 30 this year at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
This marquee event to celebrate 200 years of US-Thai friendship highlights stories of friendship between both countries. It will showcase more than 50 official gifts exchanged between them over the past two centuries. Displayed objects include contributions from the Smithsonian Institution, the US National Archives, the US Library of Congress, 10 American presidential libraries, the King Prajadhipok Institute and the National Museum Bangkok under the Fine Arts Department. Most of these gifts have never been displayed before.
The exhibit will be presented through traditional displays, interactive multimedia and an educational space for lectures and youth outreach. It will run from March 20 to June 30 from 10am-5.30pm daily. Entry is 150 baht for adults and 50 baht for students with ID cards. Furthermore, the US Embassy and Consulate in Thailand will host an opening gala dinner for the exhibition on March 23 at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel. According to Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn, the exhibit starts with the initial correspondence between US President James Monroe and King Rama II in 1818, which laid the foundation for an enduring alliance. As of December last year, the number of American visitors to Thailand annually hit the 1 million mark, setting a record.
Visit th.usembassy.gov as well as social-media platforms using #greatandgoodfriends.
