Their Majesty King and Queen open two gardens at Queen Sirikit Park

Attended the ceremony included Charanthada Karnasuta, Privy Councilor and Chairman of the Queen Sirikit Park Foundation; Thanpuying Charungjit Teekara, Director and Secretary-General of Queen Sirikit Park Foundation; Chadchart Sittipunt, Bangkok Governor, Queen Sirikit Park Foundation executives, public officials and Queen Sirikit Park staff.

On this occasion, Their Majesties lit incense sticks and candles to worship the Triple Gem, received the precepts, and allowed Narumon Lomthong, Director and Assistant Treasurer of Queen Sirikit Park Foundation, to present the programme to His Majesty the King.

Wantanee Wattana, Permanent Secretary for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and Queen Sirikit Park Foundation executives also presented the programme to Her Majesty the Queen.

Thanpuying Charungjit Teekara, Director and Secretary-General of Queen Sirikit Park Foundation, expressed gratitude, reported the background and objectives of the event.

Thanpuying Charungjit also invited Their Majesties the King and Queen to open plagues of Queen Sirikit Park’s BGCI standardised botanic garden and From Mountain to River garden, as well as growing yellow star trees and releasing carp as per Their Majesties’ request.

Their Majesties the King and Queen then left the ceremonial pavilion to the ceremonial platform, and pressed the button to open plaques of Queen Sirikit Park’s BGCI standardised botanic garden and From Mountain to River garden.

They returned to the ceremonial pavilion, offered alms to monks and poured water. The monks then offered blessings.

Their Majesties watched a musical performance by the Chalermrat Band, conducted by Wirach Yoothaworn, National Artist in Performing Arts (International Music) in 2017.

The song “Ton Mai Kong Por” (Father's Tree) sung by Thongchai McIntyre, National Artist in Performing Arts (Thai International Music – Singing) in 2022, and singers from the Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre.

They also watched the musical performance by Khon dancers from Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre and Kidbuoksip, directed by Yuthana and Klakool Akkaradechanat, who are the theatre’s first-generation Khon actors.

The performance consisted of five acts: Act 1: Opening the Forest; Act 2: Rooting the Royal Kindness; Act 3: Pleasant Plants; Act 4: Passing on the Royal Wish; Act 5: Royal Kindness of King Rama X.

Following the musical performance was a song “Tam Roi Khwam Dee” (Following the Goodness), which was composed to honour His Majesty the King on the auspicious occasion of the King’s sixth cycle birthday on July 28, 2024.

Their Majesties the King and Queen left the ceremonial pavilion to visit the exhibition area and viewed the model of Queen Sirikit Park’s BGCI standardised botanic garden and From Mountain to River garden.

They left the exhibition area to grow a pair of yellow star trees for prosperity, then released 172 carp on the From Mountain to River garden to allow visitors to relax, enjoy the beauty, and learn about the benefits of carp and importance of the ecosystem.

Released carp under Their Majesties’ request consist of six species: 52 Koharu, 20 Aka Matsuba, 25 Kiujiri, 40 Benigoi, 10 Karachigoi, and 25 Karashi Goyo.

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother has given a royal policy for the botanical garden design to meet the principles of ecosystem and plant diversity similar to natural forests, so the garden can be a complete “small forest in a big city”.

Thanks to the royal policy of His Majesty the King, which has been continued from the Queen Mother’s policy, the Queen Sirikit Park’s botanical garden has been certified by BGCI on September 16, 2024.

The botanic garden which has met BGCI’s requirement is considered an honour to His Majesty the King on the auspicious occasion of the King’s sixth cycle birthday on July 28, 2024. It is the first international standardised botanical garden in Bangkok and the third in Thailand.

The From Mountain to River garden built on a 26-rai land came after collaboration between the Queen Sirikit Park Foundation and BMA to present the royal grace of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother and the royal family, who travelled to perform royal duties, visit people in all regions of Thailand and granted royal initiatives in various fields for the benefit of all Thai people.

His Majesty the King has continued the Queen Mother’s royal intention in reforestation to create abundance and preserve biodiversity to allow people to learn. This resulted in the garden’s characteristics of forest diversity and preservation of the water ecosystem through natural methods, which encourage visitors to study. 

A distinctive feature of the garden is cultivation of saplings from trees that the King planted in various areas nationwide, ranging from the North to the South.