Address by His Excellency Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn
Prime Minister
at the Inauguration Ceremony of the Darakarn Building
(UNESCO/SEAMES Office)
on Friday, February 19, 1971

Your Excellency, Mr Directors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

          It gives me a great pleasure to attend the Inauguration Ceremony of the Darakarn Building, the foundation stone of which was laid by myself at the invitation of the Ministry of Education two years ago.  His Majesty's Government is greatly honoured that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization have chosen to base their offices in Thailand.   On behalf of the Thai Government, I wish to pledge our firm support to the Organizations to which we shall continue to accord all the facilities required.

          I can assure all of you that His Majesty's Government has always realized the significant role of education in national development and has done its utmost to improve the education of its people, particularly at the time when the recent population explosion has become a critical problem.  We are therefore gratified to see that UNESCO shares a similar view and has rendered most valuable assistance to Thailand as well as other countries in this part of the world in the development of education.

          SEAMEO is another organization with the same purpose of promoting education, but in a smaller area, that is to say, within the region of Southeast Asia.  Although the Organization has only been recently established, its great success is quite apparent, as could be seen in the number of the centres of its various projects located in different Member States.  I take this opportunity to extend our warm welcome to H E Dr Nguyen-Luu-Vien, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the Republic of Vietnam, President of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Council, who has kindly honoured us with his presence.  I also wish to extend our warm welcome to the directors of the six project centres of the Organization who have come to attend this Inauguration Ceremony.  Indeed it is most gratifying to witness the solidarity  of leading educators in this region in their common efforts to develop education in this part of the world.

          At this auspicious moment, it is my pleasure to inaugurate the Darakarn Building and take this opportunity to wish the two organizations every success in their undertakings, which will pave the way for the educational and economic development of the people in Southeast Asia.