Why We're Going

We continue to be reminded that the situation in which we find ourselves continues to change, and continues to demand our attention. Here are some headlines from the last few days, that are of special interest to our mission team .....

Singing while under suspicion in Myanmar
YANGON, MYANMAR (LA TIMES) - The military government's tightening grip doesn't give people here much to sing about, and when they do feel the urge to make music, even that can be risky.
"Prepare for worst," Suu Kyi tells Myanmar
YANGON, MYANMAR (REUTERS) - Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is frustrated at a lack of talks on political reform with the ruling military junta since last year's bloody crackdown on dissent, her party said on Wednesday.
Poet's hidden message angers junta
YANGON, MYANMAR (AP) - A Myanmar poet known for his odes to love was arrested after penning a Valentine's Day poem that carried a hidden message criticizing the leader of the country's military junta, Senior General Than Shwe, colleagues said Thursday.
Junta 'lying' over Myanmar deaths
NEW YORK, N.Y. (CNN) - The September crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators by the Myanmar military junta was bloodier than the government admitted to, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Friday.

Up In the Air

DAY 2 / THE NORTH PACIFIC - The end to the second day of our team’s mission to Thailand comes somewhere over the northern rim of the Pacific Ocean. The Aleutian Islands of Alaska are somewhere behind us. The Kamchatka Peninsula and the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok are somewhere ahead. Beyond that lie Japan, Korea and China.

Our altitude is about 12,300 m, and our speed is about 830 kph. Air temperature outside our cabin is about -55º C. We are expected to arrive in Bangkok at about 6:30 a.m. (local time) after 17-18 hours in the air ….. a LONG journey, even by West Texas standards!

But the flight is comfortable, and the departure was right on schedule. The aircraft we’re in is larger than those used in domestic flights, and the service of our Thai Airways crew is spoiling, to say the least. At meal time, we had our choice of western or Thai dishes. And there are plenty of soft drinks, fruit juices and bottled water throughout the flight, which helps keep passengers hydrated and reduces the effect of extended air travel. Exercise also helps with that, and team members are walking the aisles and flexing their limbs when they can.

We are also taking advantage of the fact that nearly the entire flight is at night, and we’re getting plenty of sleep ….. but we’re able to time that sleep to help our bodies adjust to the dramatic change in time zones we face when we arrive in Bangkok.

We’d also like to mention the in-flight entertainment. Many of us brought books to help us get through the long hours of the flight ….. but some of us haven’t even cracked open the cover. You can watch movies for example, current hits and old classics, western and Thai. You can start with George Clooney and “Michael Clayton,” move on to “Lady and the Tramp,” then finish with “Twipop, The Siam Rennaisance,” in which Florence Vanida plays Maneejan, a modern-day Thai scholar who warps back in time to the Bangkok of 100 years ago. There are also news, sports and weather reports. And there is music which, again, features western and Thai favorites ….. the latter includes a “Musical Self-Portrait” composed by His Majesty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.

Although this leg of our journey was delayed by 24 hours (due to multiple problems with domestic flights and connections), it is running right on schedule. And that is encouraging to our team members who are eager to arrive in Thailand, link-up with the mission partners in-country, and get to work.

Please keep our mission and team members in your prayers, and be sure to include a prayer of thanks for those at the ticket counter and in the aircraft that are helping us reach our destination at long last. And please, don’t forget the families and loved-ones back home.

By the way, if you have any questions you would like to ask the members of our mission team, please e-mail your question to missioner@fpcmid.org

A Discouraging Start

DAY 1 / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - The first day of our team’s mission to Thailand has gotten off to a discouraging start. By midnight, we had expected to be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, on the final leg of our journey from Midland to Bangkok ….. instead, we found ourselves at Los Angeles International Airport (or LAX), with the realization that the final leg would be delayed 24 hours.

It began with a cancelled flight, and a two-hour delay in our departure from Midland International ….. and one could almost see the ripple-effect extending outward from there. Once in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), we had to find space on another flight to LAX, one that departed four hours after the one we had missed. We arrived in Los Angeles more than an hour after our connecting flight had departed for Bangkok.

So, what do we do? Remain flexible ….. and keep an upbeat attitude. We will get where we’re going, and there will be plenty for us to do once we’re there. As for now? “No matter where you’re going,” the song reminds us, “there you are!” Among other things, the delays have allowed time to test procedures for preparing and sending e-mail updates from our Thai Mission Team to our family and friends back-home, and for updating our West Texas Missioner weblog ….. procedures we were pretty sure would work ….. but, now we know. We have put the extra hours to use in another, more significant way.

We have spent a chunk of that time - in airport waiting lounges and across the table of a shared meal – in getting to know one another ….. who we are, where we are from, why we are here. It is a silver lining to a cloud of misfortune – great or small – that brings us closer together on so many levels, and will help us accomplish more in the days ahead. We would also like to express our appreciation for Cynthia Howard, the team member responsible for travel arrangements. She has spent much of the last 24 hours with her phone permanently fixed in her ear, while at the same time talking to airline agents across the counter, making new arrangements and keeping us moving – slowly, but surely – forward. She has also worked to keep us informed, and reassure team members anxious over the past day’s developments. Some of us say, they hate to think how much worse the day might have turned out if it hadn’t been for Cynthia’s expertise, and her tenacity in overcoming the obstacles thrown in our way by the airline.

By the way, some of our team members should already be in Thailand. Pastor Jerry Hilton, and Katie and Franklin Williamson, were following their own itineraries, from their own communities – and we had hoped to link-up with them at LAX for the final leg of our outward journey. We have heard that they DID make the connection with that flight, and they will be our representatives in Bangkok for the first day’s schedule of activities. Please keep our team members – on both sides of the Pacific Ocean! – in your prayers. Keep us mindful that there is work to be done ….. and while we may be uncertain exactly when and where that work will be done, HE is not, and with His help we will come together and fulfill our mission.

Is there something you'd like to ask the members of our Thai Mission Team? CLICK HERE to send us your question, which we will answer by return e-mail, and here in the pages of West Texas Missioner.

Today's the Day

Today's the day a mission team from First Presbyterian Church of Midland, and Faces of Children, departs for Thailand. The purpose of this inaugural mission effort is to learn more about faith-based ministries among victims of human trafficking, displaced persons, and those fleeing persecution in Myanmar (Burma); to aid and support existing ministries among those people; and to share the Gospel and encourage leaders who are ministering there.

Wish us luck ..... and please add the Thai Mission Team to your prayer list!

Would you like to receive daily Mission Team Updates from Thailand? CLICK HERE and tell us to add your e-mail address to our Update List.

Is there something you'd like to ask the members of our Thai Mission Team? CLICK HERE to send us your question, which we will answer by return e-mail, and here in the pages of West Texas Missioner.

Counting-Down the Hours

The Mission Team is one day - just twenty-four hours - away from their departure for Thailand. There is increased excitement - and also increased anxiety - as team members work to ensure that everything - ourselves, our luggage, our mission projects, our equipment, our donations - is in place in time for that departure. Wish us luck ..... and please add the Thai Mission Team to your prayer list!

Americans Abroad

An early stop in our mission Thailand will be the United States Embassy in Bangkok. While there, we will meet Eric G. John, who was sworn-in as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand in 2007. We will also meet with members of the embassy staff, as part of our introduction to the country where we will live and work for the following two weeks.

The staff will also conduct the team on a trip to the Baan Kredtakarn shelter, which has been arranged for January 31st. There we will be met by senior Thai government officials who will explain their shelter and rehabilitation policy for trafficking victims.

Baan Kredtakarn is the Thai government's main shelter for trafficking victims in Bangkok. It is located on an island in the middle of the Chao Phraya River to maintain the security and privacy of the victims, and features a full-fledged school and vocational training facility. Links to stories that reference the shelter can be found HERE and HERE.

The U.S. Mission in Thailand is one of the largest in the world, and is comprised of various agencies of the United States government. In addition to the embassy in Bangkok, there is also a Consulate General in another of our mission team's destinations, Chiang Mai.

Another Time, Another Place

Right now, in Bangkok, Thailand, it is .....



Residents of the Permian Basin are no strangers to living and working in different time zones. There are many who travel on a weekly - or even daily - basis back-and-forth between West Texas and Southeast New Mexico ..... and their respective time zones.

But this will be something different. The time zone where the Thai Mission Team will live and work for two weeks, is thirteen hours ahead of what we - and our bodies - are accustomed to here, in West Texas. So, how do you adjust? One of our team members offers the following suggestions:
● Start shifting your sleep-wake cycle to match that of your destination several days before departure, changing at the rate of one hour per day.
● Begin adjusting to the time zone of your destination by resetting your watch at the beginning of your flight.
● Sleep on the plane when it is nighttime at your destination. Earplugs, headphones and eye masks can help diminish noise and light.
● Stay awake on the plane when it is daytime at your destination. Read a book with the light on and the window shade open, or cruise the aisles.
● Drink plenty of water. The air on planes is extremely dry, and dehydration can worsen the effects of jet lag.
● Avoid alcohol and caffeine while flying. They increase dehydration.
● Exercise as much as you can on the flight during waking hours: stretch, walk down the aisles and do leg lifts
● Drink plenty of fluids. Eat high-protein meals if you want energy to stay awake, and eat meals high in carbohydrates if you want to relax and sleep.

Time to Get Packing

We are in the process of putting the finishing touches on our preparations, and that includes packing our cases. Many of our team members are devoting one of their two pieces of luggage to packing donated items which we will be distributing to the ministries we meet in Thailand (more on that HERE).

As for our own, personal gear ..... in addition to clothes and toiletries (and - for some of us - cameras, laptops, etc.), we received the following recommendations from a team member who is making a return trip to Thailand:
● Snacks for 2 or 3 days when lunch may be slim to none
● Support socks/knee-hi (recommended for long flights to help prevent blood clots)
● Hand Sanitizer
● Tissues
● Travel size toilet paper (in sporting goods @ Wal Mart)
● Insect repellent
● Sunscreen
● Embassy Wear (coat & tie for men)
● Band aids
● Antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin
● Converter & Adapter
● Flashlight

Commissioning the Mission Team

The Thailand Mission Team will be commissioned this Sunday, January 27, during the 11:00 a.m. worship service at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. If you would like to attend, and offer your prayers and your encouragements, we would love to have you!

Utterz Test for West Texas Missioner

Here is a new feature from Utterz that allows you to "instantly blog your experiences, thoughts and ideas, anywhere, using all the capabilities of your mobile phone. Utterz mashes together the voice, video, pictures, and text you call or send in and creates an 'Utter' that can immediately update your existing web pages on sites such as this. One of our team members saw it used on another West Texas weblog, Fire Ant Gazette, and suggested we give it a try here, at West Texas Missioner.

Mobile post sent by West Texas Missioner using Utterz. Replies. mp3

Counting-Down the Days

The Mission Team is one week - just seven days - away from their date of departure for Thailand. There is increased excitement - and also increased anxiety - as team members work to ensure that everything - ourselves, our luggage, our mission projects, our equipment, our donations - is in place in time for that departure. Wish us luck ..... and please add the Thai Mission Team to your prayer list!

Practicing What We Preach

Our Mission team's goal in Thailand includes a commitment to the Gospel, to proclaim the good news of Christ's resurrection and share the forgiveness and new life found in Him, to be instruments of His love and peace. In everything we do, we must practice what we preach.

In world news headlines today there is this story from the Associated Press ..... "NA PRADU, THAILAND - Muslim militants fatally shot a Buddhist teacher as he pulled out of his driveway to head to work Thursday in restive southern Thailand, police said."

We will be working in central and northern Thailand, hundreds of miles away from the far-southern region where more than 80 Buddhist teachers are among the more than 2,800 people killed since a Muslim insurgency in January, 2004. The AP report goes on to state, "public school teachers, viewed by insurgents as government collaborators, are targeted along with civil servants and local officials in almost daily attacks in Thailand's southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. The three provinces are the only Muslim-dominated areas in the Buddhist country."

But the insurgents' ways, means and ends - as described in this and other reports - does provide a contrast for our work, for our message, and for our commitment to practice what we preach.

Our Mission Friends: Faces of Children

Over the course of two weeks, the Thai Mission Team will be learning more about faith-based ministries among victims of human trafficking, displaced persons, and those fleeing persecution in Myanmar (Burma); aiding and supporting existing ministries among those people; and sharing the Gospel and encouraging leaders who are ministering there.

But not all of our Mission Partners are based in Thailand ..... for example, right here in the Tall City, working with the Thai Mission Team in the months leading up to our departure, is Faces of Children, an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. FOC's mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

"But Jesus called for them and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.'" - Luke 18:16-17

Faces of Children seeks to: 1) Educate by raising awareness about suffering children and children at risk; 2) Pray and mobilize groups to pray for children in churches, neighborhoods, communities across our nation, and throughout the world; 3) Build relationships with global ministries that reach out to children, praying with and for those ministries and the children they serve; and, 4) Provide an opportunity for people of God to join in celebrating Christ's love, especially as it relates to children.

For more information, you can call Faces of Children at (432) 684-7821, or e-mail them at info@facesofchildren.net You can also request Intercessory Prayers for Children which will be shared through various means, including the Faces of Children weblog.

Traveling Heavy

If packing for the upcoming mission to Thailand were simply a matter of a change of clothes, toiletries, a camera and a little spending money for ourselves, things would be much simpler ..... unfortunately, that is NOT the case. Each team member will be traveling heavy, and keeping an eye on the scale to make sure our bags are not TOO heavy.

So what are we packing? A wide variety of donated goods and equipment to aid our mission effort and the various activities in which we will be engaged as we meet with existing ministries in central and northern Thailand. This includes .....

Tools for Crafting Jewelry, which will go to those served by NightLight, a mission dedicated to rescuing, healing and restoring victims of prostitution and human trafficking. Located in an urban Bangkok neighborhood with a growing sex trade, Nightlight’s vision is to share the Light of the world in both word and deed to those who live in darkness. One way this is accomplished is through Economic/Educational Opportunities, providing alternatives through job training and education, including the design and creation of NightLight Design Jewelry . Sale of these these products help women and children who are being exploited in the bars of Bangkok, through the NightLight Center's emergency aid, and educational and alternative employment opportunities.

Hygiene Packs, which will go to those served by Partners Relief & Development as they pursue their mission to demonstrate God's love to orphans, children in war zones, victims of brutality, and others who are displaced/marginalized due to war, and victims of natural disaster.

Educational Materials, books, music, school supplies and art supplies for ministries that serve underpriveleged children.

Soccer Equipment, for a ministry that reaches out to youngsters through athletic programs.

..... and that's just a sampling!

Christians In a Buddhist Land

According to the 2008 World Fact Book prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency, Buddhists comprise 94.6% of Thailand's religious population, while Muslims account for 4.6%, and Christians account for 0.7% (2000 census). CLICK HERE for the CIA's complete entry on Thailand. CLICK HERE for the CIA's complete 'People' entry on demographics in Thailand.

Buddhism is a set of teachings or philosophies often described as a religion - but not everyone agrees on that. Some definitions of religion would exclude it ..... or at least one form of Buddhism, if not the whole. However you define it, Buddhism has at its core the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Gautama Buddha. Some scholars, it is reported, regard Buddhism as a plurality rather than a single entity.

"Trying to describe Buddhism is a little like trying to describe a snowflake - or Christianity," Robert Buckley Farlee writes in "Honoring Our Neighbor's Faith," which has been used as a Sunday School text in Midland over the years. "Buddhism has taken many forms in its 2,500-year history. Some forms of Buddhism are non-theistic, while the adherents of other forms pray to various 'gods.' Some emphasize meditation while others argue that only faith matters. This proliferation of forms - schools, branches, sects - has been the result of Buddhism's inclusiveness and openness. which led to a tendency to absorb local cultures and religious forms ..... among this proliferation of branches, however, all forms of Buddhism have the same root: the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha."

In Thailand, our Mission Team will encounter adherents of Southern (Theravāda) Buddhism, the oldest surviving Buddhist school, that for many centuries has been the predominant religion of most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand).

At the core of all forms of Buddhism, Farlee notes, are Four Noble Truths - 1. life is suffering; 2. there is a reason for this suffering; 3. there is a way to end the suffering; and, 4. the way to end the suffering is the Eight-Fold Path. That Path, Farlee goes on to write, can be arranged under three headings - 1. Wisdom (Right Views, Right Aspirations); 2. Morality (Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood); and, 3. Concentration (Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Meditation).

Americans are no strangers to Buddhism, though our exposure to it may be a little haphazard ..... at the beginning of the 20th-century, American readers were introduced to some of the concepts of Buddhism through Okakura Kakuzo's "The Book of Tea," which has been republished many times since then ..... in the 1950s, American readers were exposed to some facets of Zen Buddhism when Jack Kerouac followed-up his milestone "On the Road" with the novel "The Daharma Bums ..... during the 1970s, American television audiences were exposed to some facets of Mahayana Buddhism as they followed the adventures of a Shaolin monk as he traveled across the 19th-century American West in "Kung Fu" ..... today, a quick 'Google search' of the Internet brings up many references to articles, books and television documentaries that suggest links between Buddhism and Christianity. And just a couple of months back, there were the images of Buddhist monks who took to the streets to speak out against the military junta that rules Myanmar (Burma) ..... until the protests were quashed and the monks were arrested.

Where We Are, Where We're From

The focus of our Mission team, first and foremost, is to learn more about faith-based ministries among victims of human trafficking, displaced persons, and those fleeing persecution in Myanmar (Burma); to aid and support existing ministries among those people; and to share the Gospel and encourage leaders who are ministering there.

But news headlines, at both the national and international level, urge us to be mindful at all times of where we are, and where we're from. While they have little or nothing to do with our mission, they help shape the perception people overseas might have of Americans, and contribute to the atmosphere in which the mission team must move and work.

NATIONAL POLITICS - "Thailand's parliament will convene after a nearly two-year absence, restoring democracy after a military coup ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and returning many of his allies to politics." HERE is the complete report from AP's Sutin Wannabovorn.

HEALTH - "Last year, more than 500,000 U.S. citizens traveled abroad for health care. As our population grows older and health care costs keep rising, more people want cheaper ways to get hip replacements and liposuction. Web sites facilitate medical tourism and allow potential patients to comb through vacation-like packages for procedures and destinations as if they were going on a honeymoon." HERE is the complete report from Forbes' Alex Davidson.

WAR ON TERROR - "John Rizzo, who was a deputy CIA counsel when the tapes were made and became the acting counsel in 2005, participated in the agency's three-year debate over what to do with the tapes. The videos contained the interrogations of two senior al-Qaeda leaders at a secret CIA prison in Thailand and included a technique known as waterboarding, which simulates drowning. HERE is the complete report from Washington Post's Walter Pincus and Joby Warrick.

ENTERTAINMENT - "In the fourth installment of the Rambo series, Stallone storms through the jungles of a cinematic Myanmar — he calls it by its former name, Burma — like a man half his age, killing the bad guys and rescuing a group of missionaries who are being held by the murderous regime that has waged war against its citizens for decades." HERE is the complete report from Today Show's Mike Celizic.

Our Mission Friends:Partners Relief & Development

Over the course of two weeks, the Thai Mission Team will be learning more about faith-based ministries among victims of human trafficking, displaced persons, and those fleeing persecution in Myanmar (Burma); aiding and supporting existing ministries among those people; and sharing the Gospel and encouraging leaders who are ministering there.

While in Chiang Mai the Mission Team will be meeting with Partners Relief & Development as they pursue their mission to demonstrate God's love to victims of conflict and oppression. Partners was started by Steve and Oddny Gumaer after a back-packing trip into Sho Klo refugee camp in 1994. According to Steve "you can't just pray for 1.5 million refugees, tell them that Jesus loves them, and then leave them hungry, without clothes, and sick; you have to do something for them to demonstrate the heart and truth behind the prayer."

Partners takes its inspiration from the words of John the disciple, who said, "let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18). This is done through four programs:
1) Orphaned and Displaced Children's Program - Care for orphans, children in war zones, victims of brutality, and others who are displaced/marginalized due to war. Both long and short term care are provided depending on the nature of the individual crisis;
2) Emergency Relief Program - Emergency relief in times of crisis when lives are at risk due to oppression and natural disaster;
3) Development Program - Providing long-term sustainable solutions to poverty for victims of oppression and natural disaster; and
4) Capacity Building Program - Developing the God given potential of individuals and communities through training.

Partners reminds you that, "the refugees and displaced people Partners works with depend on our prayers, generosity, and actions for their own welfare and development/" You can be involved in their struggle today by:
PRAYING - You are encouraged to pray for Burma, not only personally, but also in your Bible study groups, with your family and in your church. To help you do this, Partners offers this prayer guide encompassing a week of prayer points and topics for you to use.
GIVING - There are many ways to give towards Partners' work with refugees and displaced people. Partners is funded primarily by individuals and churches. CLICK HERE for more information on ways to give, and a list of current needs. AT THIS TIME, Partners - approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization - has announced a donor's offer to match all monthly gifts and all new gifts (for those who haven't given since 2006) up to a maximum of $200,000.
ACTING - To learn more about how you can volunteer your time to help the people of Burma, please visit Partners' Advocacy Page.

Counting-Down the Weeks

The Mission Team is two weeks away from their date of departure for Thailand. In some cases, it means increased anxiety, as team members worry that everything will be in place in time for that departure. That, in itself, has raised the level of activity as team members rush their preparations to meet the fast-approaching deadline. We are aided by the experience of some of the team members who have visited Thailand before, and others with overseas mission experience in Colombia, Uganda and other parts of the world. The team has also been blessed with members' expertise in a wide variety of specific fields, which has aided our general effort.

Where We're Going - Mae Sot

Days nine-through-eleven of our mission will be spent in Mae Sot (แม่สอด) a town in the Tak Province of northwestern Thailand. Mae Sot is a border town located on the eastern bank of the Moei River which serves as natural boundary between the nations of Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). In fact, some refer to Mae Sot as the 'Gateway to Burma.'

Wikipedia's entry on Mae Sot provides a good jump-off point in your online search for more information about the city. There is no municipal website, as is the case for larger cities in Thailand, but there are pages to devoted to Mae Sot on websites maintained by the Japan-ESCAP Cooperation Fund, Thai Airways and the Thai Tourism Authority that offer good online sources of information.

The economy of this town is closely tied to its border location, with marketplaces devoted to various commodities - including gems - flowing out of Burma to the rest of Asia, and to the world. That same border location also makes the presence of Burmese refugees a significant factor in the town, its economy and its interaction with the outside world.

Mae Sot is a smaller, less developed town compared to other cities that will be visited by the Thai Mission Team ..... but things could change. In this report, Sai Silp of The Irrawaddy News writes that, "Thai authorities have unveiled an ambitious plan to develop Mae Sot, o­n the Thai-Burmese border, into a metropolis, which they say could make the riverside town a regional commercial hub and a major trading post o­n the road through Burma to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan." It is also reported in the Thai Manager Online that there are plans to create a new province - centered in Mae Sot - comprised of five border districts from the existing Tak Province.

Mae Sot is home to Partners Relief & Development, a group working in refugee camps on the Thai/Burma border to aid victims of oppression, and displaced persons. Partners takes its inspiration from the words of John the disciple, who said, "let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18). This is done through four programs: an orphaned and displaced children's program; emergency relief; a development program; and, a capacity building program. (More information on each of those programs is available HERE)

A Royal Presence

Anyone who has recently researched Thailand online, making use of Thai websites, will have encountered, first-and-foremost and regardless of their research topic, an image of Her Royal Highness Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Narathiwat (สมเด็จพระเจ้าพี่นางเธอ เจ้าฟ้ากัลยาณิวัฒนา กรมหลวงนราธิวาสราชนครินทร์) and a brief message of condolence on her passing.

Earlier this month, the Royal Household Bureau announced that the Princess had passed away at 2:54 in the morning on Wednesday, January 2, 2008, at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok. She was 84.

Those visiting Thailand this month, as well as in February through April, should note that there is to be a mourning period of 100 days, starting from the day of her death. The Prime Minister announced that all government officials and agencies would wear black for 15 days while the cabinet would wear black for the full 100 days.

Those wishing to know more about Princess Galyani Vadhana, can visit some of the Thai websites listed in the left-hand column of this weblog. You can also check out this entry on Wikipedia.