Sirindhorn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

Born	April 2, 1955 (age 52)
Title	Princess of Thailand
Spouse	Unmarried
Parents	Bhumibol Adulyadej and Sirikit

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the second daughter of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and is currently third in line to the throne. She is the most popular and admired member of the Thai Royal Family or Chakri Dynasty. Her full name and title is "Som det phra thep phra rat raat cha su daa Chao fa Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Ratha si ma ku na korn pi ya chat Siam ba rom ma raat cha ku maa ree" (Thai: สมเด็จพระเทพรัตนราชสุดา เจ้าฟ้ามหาจักรีสิรินธร รัฐสีมาคุณากรปิยชาติ สยามบรมราชกุมารี). She is styled "her royal highness" (Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าลูกเธอ เจ้าฟ้าสิรินธรเทพรัตนสุดา กิติวัฒนาดุลโสภาคย์). Thais commonly refer to her as Phra Thep (Thai: พระเทพ), meaning "princess angel."

1 Biography
2 Education
3 Works
4 Awards
5 In Her Honour
6 Notes
7 External links

[edit] Biography

Sirindhorn, born April 2, 1955, is the third child of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Because the king has only one son, the Thai constitution was altered in 1974 to allowed for female succession. This made Sirindhorn second in line to the throne (after the crown prince). She was invested with the title “Somdech Phra Debaratana Rajasuda Chao Fah Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Rathasimakunakornpiyajat Sayam Boroma Rajakumari” (Thai: สมเด็จพระเทพรัตนราชสุดา เจ้าฟ้ามหาจักรีสิรินธร รัฐสีมาคุณากรปิยชาติ สยามบรมราชกุมารี) on December 5, 1977. The English form of this title is "princess maha chakri." Because her title in Thai is the female equivalent of the title held by her brother Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, she is unofficially referred to as "crown princess." However, she has never been the heir apparent. With the birth of a son to the crown prince (2005), Sirindhorn became third in line to the throne. Unlike previous constitutions, the Interim Constitution (2006) does not mention succession. However, this is not thought to alter the existing succession arrangement.

Easily the most beloved member of the royal family, after the king and queen, she enjoys the widespread admiration of the Thai people and is considered her father's intellectual successor. She spends much of her time helping her father with his various projects and has never married. "Palace insiders say she prefers female companionship," according to royal biographer Paul Handley.^[1] She once told a Thai television audience that she did not get married because she doesn't want to be with a man.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Education

Kindergarten to upper secondary levels at Chitralada School. She ranked first in the National School Examinations in the primary level (grade 7) in 1967, first in upper secondary level (grade 12) in 1972 and fourth in the National University Entrance Examination.
Bachelor of arts in History (First Class Honor, Gold Medal) from Chulalongkorn University in 1976
Master of arts in Oriental Epigraphy (Sanskrit and Cambodian) from Silpakorn University in 1978 with the thesis entitled 'The Inscriptions Found at Prasad Bnam Run (Prasat Phnom Rung)'
Master of arts in Pali and Sanskrit from Chulalongkorn University in 1980 with the thesis entitled 'Dasaparami in Theravada Buddhism'
Doctor of philosophy in Educational Development from Srinakharinwirot University in 1986 with the thesis entitled 'Development of an Innovative Design for the Instruction of Thai Language at the Upper Secondary School Level'

[edit] Works

In Thailand, she is often referred to as the "Princess of Technology" or the "Princess of Information Technology", due to her interest and expertise in applying science for the country's development.

Besides her passion for technology, she holds degrees in History and a doctorate in Educational Development. She speaks fluent English, French, and Chinese, and is currently studying German and Latin. Princess Sirindhorn has a very good background in Chinese culture, as well as other oriental cultures. In recent years, she has paid many visits to China, both officially and privately, for her studies of the Chinese language and culture.

An accomplished musician, she plays the trumpet and several Thai traditional instruments, including the ranat (xylophone) and saw duang.^[2] She also teaches at the History Department of the Chulachomklao Military Academy, where she is the nominal head of the department.

[edit] Awards

She received many awards and recognition. Some of them are

The Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service (Philippines) in 1991^[3]
Chinese Language and Culture Friendship Award in 2000
Understanding and Friendship International Literature Award by Chinese Literature Foundation of Chinese Writers Association in 2001

She was also conferred many honorary degrees, such as

Honorary degree of Doctor in Chinese Studies of Humane Letters, Thammasat University in 1991

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has graciously accepted the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador title for the "Empowerment of Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of Their Intangible Cultural Heritage." UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura conferred this title on 24 March 2005.

[edit] In Her Honour

Because of her interest in foreign cultures, technology, conservation and education, there are a number of academic and research institutions in Thailand which have been granted permission to use her name, such as

Princess Sirindhorn's College, Mueang Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Pathom Province
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre (Public Organization), established 1991
HRH Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn Music Library, Mahidol University, opened in 1991
Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Thammasat University, established as International Institute of Technology (IIT) in 1994, renamed SIIT in 1996.
Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok

Also place:

Amphoe Sirindhorn of Ubon Ratchathani Province
Sirindhorn Dam stops the Dom Noi River in Sirindhorn, Ubon Ratchathani Province.

Several fauna species are named after her, including

Pseudochelidon sirintarae (Princess Sirindhorn bird or white-eyed River Martin) of Hirundinidae (swallow). It was described in 1968 and is critically endangered.
Phricotelphusa sirindhorn (Panda crab). It was described in Crustaceana in 1989.
Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae (Sauropod, herbivore dinosaur) from the early Cretaceous period. It was described in 1994.
Acanthosquilla sirindhorn (Panda mantis shrimp). It was described in Crustaceana in 1995.
Streptocephalus sirindhornae (Anostraca, freshwater fairy shrimp). It was described in Journal of Crustacean Biology in 2000.
Macrobrachium sirindhorn (freshwater prawn). It was described in Crustaceana in 2001.
Trigona sirindhornae (apidae, insect)
Sirindhorn thailandiensis (Princess moth).
Loxosomatoides sirindhornae (freshwater kamptozoan). It was described in Hydrobiologia (Hydrobiologia) in 2005.

Numerous plant species also have been named after her, including the Sirindhornia spp. (Orchids):

Sirindhornia pulchella can only be seen in Doi Chiang Dao, blooming around April to June.
Sirindhornia mirabilis can only be seen in Doi Hua Mot in Tak Province, blooming during May to June
Sirindhornia monophyla can bee seen in Doi Hua Mot in Tak Province from March to June, as well in Myanmar and China.

Other plant species includes

Bauhinia sirindhorniae (Sam sip song pra dong - Leguminosae -Caesalpinioideae, vine). It was described in Nordic Journal of Botany in 1997.
Magnolia sirindhorniae (Princess Sirindhorn'smagnolia)
Thepparatia thailandica Phuph. or Khruea Thepparat Malvaceae. Thepparat is her royal title. It was described in Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) in 2006.^[4]