By Mr.Boonchai Bencharongkul Chairman Sam nuke Rak Ban Kerd Foundation
Your Excellency Prime Ministers Your Excellency Dr.Surin Pithsuwan Secretary of Asean Distinguished Guest Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Evening. It is a great honour for me to be here on this podium to night, to delivery a speech to praise His Majesty The Kings unconditioningly devotion to the people of Thailand.
Twelve years ago around this period “The infamous Tom Yum Kung economic crisis” had hit Thailand head on and spread though out Southeast Asia. Our company Total Access Communication the second largest mobile phone operator in Thailand was among the hardest hit companies. Amidst the chaotic of creditors holding us upside down shaking for repayment and the stream of customers shutting down their subscriptions by a hundred of thousand per month, we realized that we Thais are all in the same boat, they too are losing jobs and businesses.
Nothing can be clearer that the livelihood of big servicing company like us depending on the economic health of the general public, when they fail so will we
That was the time we have to turn around and try to understand our role in the greater society. That lead us to look up close at His Majesty The King “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy” and the new Theory that later become the manual for application of the Philosophy. The theory break down into 3 steps, please allow me to run through them quickly.
The first step was simply embrace the Sufficiency Economy way of life fully. The second step is to gather the surplus output together and use collective bargaining method in dealing with the middleman such as forming a cooperative. And finally the third step is to seek assistant from government agency, banks and large corporation after finishing the first two steps of being sufficient in order to be sustainable.
His Majesty The King always teach us to be kind to one another and give to each other, giving make us happy and giving create a harmonious society for one who received and the one who give. Big question at the time for us was “what do we give to the people when they come seek our assistant?”
By pleading oneself to become the faithful follower of Sufficiency economy philosophy, we are lead to look at many written words that are extract from His Majesty’s profound addresses to the public throughout the last 30 years.
One key phrase that seem to appear almost everywhere is to be self sufficient meaning to be able to stand on one’s own feet and sustain for a long period of time. That was good enough for us to begin the quest of helping ourselves and others out of trouble. First we must be sustainable and only then we can give assistant to others.
His Majesty The King once told me that If I would like to contribute something to the country there is no need for me to join the politic, all you have to do is safeguarding the jobs of our employee at our company, which is around 5000 people at the time. By saving their jobs their income could create job for 50000 people and the 50000 jobs can create 500000 five hundred thousand, five million and fifty million and so forth.
Agricultural sector needed help the most in coping with this fast moving world. And they are also consider the backbone of our country, and they consist of half of Thailand population. The new Theory I have mentioned earlier do read like it was tailored made for the agricultural sector.
Twelve years ago, we started the project ‘happy farmer’ under the first phase name “Rak ban Kerd” in Thai language mean “love your birth place” it can mean your town or your country. We provide 999 scholarships to the children from all 76 provinces, around 13 of them from each provinces to study through University. With just one promise from them that one day when they can they would contribute something to their hometown. Their Ban Kerd.
His Majesty The King also have advised us to teach the childen to appreciate the greatness of Mother Earth. Not to forget that Thais are born with Greentumb as a natures’gift. Therefore we had incorporated the field work in many of our reunion camp each year. This was to each the scholarship student to know how to grow things with their hand not just learning the Virtue and Vice of the computer.
Two years ago we launched another “Happy farmer Project” in the second phase we create a radio program call “farmer info” Broadcast in 10 different provinces that consider a foodbelt of the country. At the same time we create an award for the expert in each different field of agriculture. The award was cash of 50000 bath and a mobile phone, one expert was picked from each province and the experts agree to help us answer all issues that may arise in our radio programs concern agriculture.
Talking call from people engaging their daily life in agriculture seeking knowledge on planting, selling or remedy for diseases. With the help of the expert on conference call broadcast live on air, information are retrieved and put into the website that we create. Using the benefit of the information technology with out having to have a computer by just call in to the easy to remember four digit number 1677 nationwide and benefit the expert knowledge and the Rak Ban Kerd graduate working as a radio program DJ utilizing internet as a tool.
We have just give the second year award to Farmer Expert on the category of Sufficiency agriculture. Hoping to find the good example for the cultivation of corps that is profitable and sustainable for the greater agriculture population.
This is how we learned that our company strength lie within ourseves as a technology company, we can share technology with people from all walk of life, connecting them through human networking and information technology. Knowledge can travel at the cyber speed from one person in the north to another person in the south and broadcast to thousand other listener on the radio program.
We also send 10 free sms on agriculture each day to the subscribed member. Hoping that one day we can help create a marketplace for the agriculture produce using the combination of mobile phone, agriculture contents with easy to use icon and radio station with internet.
We Thais are so lucky that our beloved King never stop working, thinking and planning for us. His Majesty teach us to care one another, That is the beginning of the whole CSR to all the Thais. Of all things His Majesty praised “Giving as the best deed one can perform”
In conclusion I would like to thank you, you all for your kind attention, welcome to Thailand, and welcome to the land of KING OF KINGS.