The Ministers of Education and Ministers Responsible of Economic Planning from the Asian countries came to Bangkok to attend a Unesco Conference.  Mr Eugene R Black was on an errand of public business for President Johnson, and that on his way to Manila, he wanted to hear the view on the problems and opportunities of education in Southeast Asia.

Taking advantage of the presence of his colleagues from five Southeast Asian countries: H E Tao Leuam Insisienmay, Laos; H E M K Johari, Malaysia; H E Ong Pang Boon, Singapore; H E Tran Ngoc Ninh, the then Republic of Vietnam; and the Honourable Mrs Geronima T Pecson, Chairperson, UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, H E Mom Luang Pin Malakul invited them to an informal meeting on 30 November 1965 where ideas about working together in regional cooperative efforts were broached for the first time.

Although informal, this initial meeting has been identified historically as the first Conference of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education.   The Ministers and their  representatives present at that first meeting recognized the opportunity and challenge of regionalism in education.  Therefore, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization was founded on 30 November 1965.

To ensure that something concrete would take place, H E Mom Luang Pin Malakul  offered to provide a small interim secretariat staff to prepare project proposals for the consideration of the Ministers at a subsequent meeting.

H E Mom Luang Pin Malakul hosted the meeting of the Ministers with Mr Eugene Black, Special Advisor to President Johnson of the United States,  as unofficial chairman of the Ministers in concert and as President of the SEAMEO Council on an ad hoc basis.

(Ref: Director's Annual Report 1971.  Bangkok: SEAMEO Secretariat, 1972.  p.1-2)

The pioneering role of the founders of SEAMEO was given due recognition by the SEAMEO Council on the occasion of SEAMEO's 25th anniversary by awarding the Plaques.
(Ref: SEAMEO Quarterly, Volume 13 No 1  January - March 1990)