Thailand Halal Assembly 2023" is an annual international academic conference of The Halal Science Centre Chulalongkorn University held on 2-3 December 2023 at Nouvo City Hotel, Banglamphu, under the theme “Digitalizing Halal Initiatives for Fostering Halal Trust” (Halal from concept to digital to trust). It was an honour to have His Excellency Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor Matha, President of the National Assembly and President of the House of Representatives, along with His Excellency Mr. Aroon Boonchom, elected as the 19th Sheikhul Islam of Thailand Co-chairman, presiding over the opening ceremony.
In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Winai Dahlan, Director of The Halal Science Centre at Chulalongkorn University and the Chairman, mentioned that the international academic conference has been organised continuously for 16 years without interruption since its inception in Krabi in 2008 called HASIB (Halal Science, Industry and Business)." THA2023 is marked as the 10th year event when counting THA 2014, the year that Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha was honoured to preside over the opening ceremony for the first year. THA 2023 is considered a large umbrella covering three events: the 10th IHSATEC (International Halal Science and Technology Conference) is jointly organised by the HSC-CU in collaboration with the Research Synergy Foundation (RSF), Indonesia, and other esteemed organisations. IHSATEC is the stage where academic research and studies are presented. There were 71 presentations submitted by international researchers, 52 were oral presentations, 19 were online presentations, 47 were verbal presentations, and 24 were posters. The countries presenting academic works, in descending order, were as follows: Indonesia with 30 pieces, Thailand with 15 pieces, Malaysia with 9 pieces, and Pakistan with 6 pieces. Additionally, there were contributions from various other countries including Egypt, the United States, Yemen, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Sudan, the Philippines, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago. The articles selected by the Reviewer Committee will be published and disseminated in an international-level academic Journal of Halal Science, Industry, and Business (JHASIB) 2024 Volume 2, Issue 1 (Vol. 2, No. 1) onwards 2) The 16th Halal Science and Business International Conference (HASIB) with more than 30 prominent speakers from over 10 countries, comprised of five insightful sessions on different aspects of the fields. 3) The 9th International Halal Standards Convention, focusing on standards and certification in Halal, will be part of the conference.
One more highlight features the showcase of 3 digital innovations (1) Halal Route is an application that would facilitate users both Thai and foreigners searching for Halal facilities in Thailand including Halal restaurants, mosques, prayer areas, Muslim communities, and tourist attractions. 2) Thailand Diamond Halal Through HAL-Q Plus Halal Standardisation System a cabinet resolution on June 2, 2015., (3) Diamond Halal Blockchain technology for verifying and ensuring the quality and integrity of Halal throughout the entire Halal supply chain stemming from the cabinet resolution on September 10, 2019. Additionally, there will be an exhibition of 15 innovative works, which are research and development projects invented by scientists from the Halal Science Centre. Over 500 attendees participated in the on-site conference, and at least 5,000 joined online from more than 38 countries, including Indonesia, Türkiye, Cambodia, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Bosnia and Herzegovina, New Zealand, Qatar, Colombia, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Netherland, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United States (USA), Vietnam Yemen, and Thailand.
It is clearly seen that HSC is still committed to building trust in Halal (Halal Trust), a commitment that will never end. HSC remains dedicated to supporting Halal certification work in line with the guideline 'Religion certifies, Halal science supports,' it is eagerly working to steer the perception of Halal towards digitalization in the near future.