Feared as a drillmaster, admired for his courage and determination.

For many years the most prominent relic on the desk of Colonel August Kolls was the polished skull of Ai Muang, the bandit and robber chief. He had been caught by Kolls, sentenced to death, and immediately beheaded by the executioner. After dark the ordinary gendarmes didn’t dare to enter the room, they were afraid of Ai Muang’s spirit.

It is in no way possible for us today to imagine how life was lived in the countryside and jungles of Siam, around year 1900, complete lawlessness reigned; conditions were not for sissies or a weak-willed nature that is for sure.

The gendarmes in Denmark and Siam
The Royal Siamese Gendarmerie was the first police corps in the Siamese provinces. It was established in 1897 after order by the absolute monarchy, represented by King Rama V (Chulalongkorn) and Prince Damrong, his brother. Before that lawlessness reigned in the countryside and the hand of the central power was not to be seen outside the provincial towns. The officers recruited were mostly Danish. It has not been discussed much, but there cannot be much doubt that the inspiration for the corps is also to be found in Denmark.

Around this time Prime Minister J. B. S. Estrup headed the government in Copenhagen; he did so by using provisional laws since the majority in Parliament was against his ultra right wing ruling party, but he had the support of King Christian IX. On 27 October 1885, a provincial corps of Gendarmes was founded by Estrup, called ‘The Blue Gendarmes’ because of the color of their uniforms. Their organization and duties in the provinces were much the same as the later corps in Siam -although conditions were very different. Prince Damrong, Minister of the Interior, visited Denmark as early as 1891 where there are all possibilities that he was informed about ‘The Blue Gendarmes’. King Chulalongkorn visited Europe and Demark 1897, only a few months after the start of EAC. More of his sons got their military training in Copenhagen. The relations between the two Royal Houses were most cordial. The Danish Commodore Richelieu in the Siamese Navy and H.N. Andersen had years earlier been instrumental in establishing the contact.

It can be mentioned that some of the officers of the Siamese corps came from The Royal Danish Life Guard. They could not have been granted a leave without the King knowing; among them was Hans Marqvard Jensen, ‘The Hero of Lampang’.

But a fantastic experiment it was: tall and slim young blond and blue eyed officers, from a totally different culture, transferred to the jungles of Siam working with short Siamese privates from the backwaters of Siam. Young men who had never in their life seen a ‘farang’ before and who were without any knowledge of military skills, many of them were not literate.

The Man from the Moon
August Kolls was one of these ‘Men from the Moon’, tall, blond, sporting an impressive moustache and with penetrating ice blue eyes that his gendarmes didn’t dare to meet.

But in fact it started in the village of Pedersborg by Soroe the 23. July 1867. Here Maria Dorthea Wendt, married to farmer C.A.F. Kolls, brought a son to the world. He was baptized August Theodor Frederic but soon thereafter adopted by steam miller Kolls (his uncle we suppose) in Tappernoeje. Next we meet him as Second-lieutenant 1888. He arrived in Bangkok on 16 January 1890, where he was immediately promoted to Premier-Lieutenant. For years he worked in the army and in the Marine-infantry as instructor and a heavy handed drillmaster, feared by his soldiers.

When the gendarmerie was founded he was hired and for many years headed the Gendarmerie station in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), where he, among other duties, trained and instructed the enrolled Danish officers. On16 October 1902, it was also his sad duty, as the liaison officer, to forward the detailed Death Certificate of Captain Hans Marqvard Jensen to the acting Danish Consul in Bangkok.

Meanwhile, the most important task was to make the mountainous route from the southern plains to the plateau of Korat safe for the merchants and their caravans. The mountains were in the hands of gangs relieving all travelers of their belongings. Kolls traced them down, he himself in front, an extremely easy target as he was. In a year or so he simply cleansed the mountains out, many dead and wounded on both sides. It was on such an expedition he learned that Ai Muang was that night sleeping with a mistress in a certain house – a traditional house, on piles. Kolls banged the floor from underneath and called for Ai Muang to come down and meet him. Ai Muang did, undoubtedly knowing that he had ran out of luck and life.

In the South
Then, in 1908 August Kolls was transferred to the South, in 1909 promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. Also here he found the ordinary robbers and highwaymen, but also some very disgusting elements among the public officials in the Southern provinces. When he exposed these people’s doings, they of course became his sworn enemies.

It seems that the Colonel simply did what he found it right or necessary to do, without thinking much of the consequences or personal protection. That also goes for the physical challenges he gave himself; extensive travelling in the jungle, drinking raw water and so on. He had more dysentery bouts. He was admitted to the Presbyterian Mission Hospital late June 2011 with yet another attack of dysentery. From that he died on 4 July 1911. He left a Siamese wife and two young sons, one of them being Charoen Kollasutr, who lived for many years in Chiang Mai. In Kolls’ family it has been a part of the family saga for generations to tell that when King Rama VI heard about Kolls’ death he should have exclaimed with a sigh: “Now I have lost my right arm in the South”.

On the memorial in Trang we read: ‘By the Gracious command of His Majesty the King of Siam this stone is erected in recognition of long and faithful services to the memory of Lieut. Col. Kolls born in Denmark 23rd July 1867 died in Trang 4th July 1911’.

The EAC Foundation – the charity foundation of East Asiatic Company – has donated 50.000 DKK (250.000 Thai Baht) – to support the work of the Heritage Section of Scandinavian Society Siam to renovate some of the graves of Danes buried in Thailand.

The grave of the first Danish Consul to Thailand, Carl F. Købke and his wife Bolette is in a historical sense one of the most important Danish graves in Thailand. The grave is located on the Christian Cemetery in Bangkok and one of the first graves to be identified as in need of renovation by the Heritage Section of the Scandinavian Society Siam. The headstone was tilting to the left and the inscription hardly readable.

“We have now had the stone straightened up and the painted letters in bas relief refreshed both on the headstone and the plate,” says Flemming Winther Nielsen who is the head of the heritage section.

The work has been possible because of the financial support received from The EAC Foundation – the charity foundation of East Asiatic Company in Denmark.

The majority of the graves in need of restoration are located at the Christian Cemetery in Bangkok. But also outside Bangkok, several graves were identified as Danish heritage by the SSS Heritage Section.

The monument in Phayao over Captain Hans Marqvard Jensen, who led Thai troops in a battle that prevented the North of Thailand to become part of Burma, is taken well care of by the Thai authorities. Less so with his grave, that was originally placed in Lampang, the city he defended, which has since been moved to Chiangmai.

In Trang in the South of Thailand, two graves have been renovated with the support of the the EAC funds. One is the grave of Commander, Capt. F Haurowitz in Trang who drowned at the entrance to the harbour. Another is the grave of Colonel August Kolls who served in The Royal Siamese Provincial Military Police.

In Muak Lek around 150 km north of Bangkok, a grave right next to the railways station bears witness to Danish involvement in other aspects of the modernisation of the Kingdom. Here rests Knud Lyhne Rahbek an only 19 year old land surveyor. A Bodhi tree that undoubtedly has been planted at the same time as the burial had overgrown the grave, but the grave has now been cleaned up.

“When we – myself together with Claus Gundersen and Gregers Moller – applied for the support from The EAC Foundation, I was fairly optimistic that we could soon finish this task,” says Flemming Winther Nielsen.

“But the task just keeps growing. One major frustration is, that the cemetery in Bangkok gets flooded every year. We have to push for the main caretaker – the British Embassy – to lay down drain pipes so our limited funds are not wasted,” he says.

So far, 20 graves mostly in the cemetery in Bangkok have been registered as worthy of preservation and 15 have by now already been renovated with the support of the EAC Foundation.

The Danish Embassy in Bangkok is located in the middle of what is today downtown Bangkok. It is hard to believe that just one hundred years ago, this area was just a swamp to the east of the city.

The development of the area goes back to 1892, 24 years into the reign of King Rama V, when Chao Sua Yom a wealthy Chinese immigrant was commissioned to dig a canal linking the Chao Phraya River near Wat Yannawa to Hua Lam Pong canal. The soil from the excavation was used to build a road running along each bank of the new canal and the concession-holder was granted ownership to a strip of land 1,600m wide on both banks of the new canal.

In recognition of his services, Chao Sua Yom was awarded the royal title Luang Sathon Rachayuk and the name of the road and canal were subsequently changed to Sathon in his honor.

Luang Sathon parceled the land on the banks of the Sathon canal into smaller lots and sold it to rich merchants, both foreign and Thai. European styled mansions were built on some lots, other lots became orchards and plantations.

The area, where the Danish Embassy is today located, was bought by ‘The Borneo Company’, one of the earliest British companies in South East Asia. The Borneo Company opened a branch in Bangkok in 1856 following introductions made to King Mongkut by the Danish explorer and merchant Ludwig Verner Helms who early on was recruited to join the company by the British ‘White Rajah’ Brooke of Sarawak. This was all a result of ‘The Bowring Treaty” (1855) between Great Britain and The Kingdom of Siam.

Building history
In 1954, Denmark appointed its first Ambassador to Thailand, Gunnar Seidenfaden, who consequently served 1955-1959. Gunnar Seidenfaden was a prominent botanist and a world class expert on orchids. It is thanks to his botanical interest that Denmark has today not only an old Embassy in Bangkok, but also a substantial park around it with plenty of interesting flora and fauna.

Gunnar Seidenfaden recommended shortly after his arrival that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Denmark acquired the large piece of land along Soi Attakarnprasit – today Sathorn Soi 1 – from the Borneo Company. On 29 July 1955, the permission was given on the condition that the acquisition and re-construction of the existing villa on the plot did not exceed the amount of 1.2 million kroner.

The Danish engineering company Christiani & Nielsen was given the contract to transform the property into an embassy with the villa as the residence and a chancery opposite. This expansion added the current reception area in the residence where guests enter the building and the “modern” spiraling staircase up to the second floor of the residence.

The chancery building opposite was where the embassy’s offices were located, but only on the ground floor. The second floor was the attache’s residence and this remained so until the mid 1990’s

The lotus pond with the Little Mermaid replica placed on the lawn between the residence and the chancery was also added as part of the Christiani & Nielsen transformation of the property. Denmark’s first tourism promotion in Thailand.

In 1956 the whole project was concluded and the Danish Embassy in Bangkok was a reality.

In the early 1990’s, the chancery was renovated. The apartment of the attache on the second floor was changed into offices and the living room of the attache became the current Ambassador’s office. In 1993 it was decided that the Danish Ministry for Environment and Energy should establish its own development cooperation organization called DANCED and to create offices for this new organization, a further expansion was undertaken on the ground floor to the west where part of the garage was located.

Since then, no further expansion has taken place; only minor maintenance projects.

In 2007, the responsibility for Danish public property was transferred internally from one financial authority to another under the Danish government. For the purpose of this transfer, the value of the property was that year estimated to be 90 million kroner. Given the current land prices in Bangkok, this estimate is probably rather conservative.

The Swedes Maria Sehlin and Ida Maria Fritzell have written a book about Singapore favourites among resident “tourists”, after a few years living in Singapore. With that, they want to show more Swedes the way to the multicultural city and exciting attractions outside the usual tourist districts.

Book authors Ida Maria Fritzell and Maria Sehlin

Tourism to Singapore increases every year and now the city state can easily be compared to the tourist metropolises of Hong Kong and Bangkok that have for long been popular destinations, states the authors. Singapore can with its rich cultural range, tropical climate and cool tourist attractions measure its “neighbors”.

And with streghtned Nordic flight connections to Singapore (Norwegian and Singapore Airlines) accessibility to visit increases further. Singapore is a hub for travellers in Southeast Asia, on route to other popular destinations like Bali, Australia, Malaysia or Thailand.

“Singapore is a small but fascinating country with cool contrasts that are not to be found elsewhere in the world,” says Maria Sehlin who has lived in Singapore since 2014. “You can take the subway to the jungle and meet wild monkeys or crocodiles. The country’s multicultural base makes us celebrate New Year several times a year and there are traditions and holidays for several different religions. In addition, the country’s varied background has provided interesting expressions in the city’s architecture,” she says.

They highlight this in the guidebook ‘Our Singapore – The Resident Tourists’ Favorites’, which presents favorite places both on and off the tourist strip. It is an inspiring guidebook with its 144 pages, 400 color photographs, background history, curiosities, facts and directions to places of interest. They show the way to local food markets, fun neighborhoods, inexpensive pleasures, cool jungles, the wild-crocodile wetland, the tallest rooftops, fascinating architecture and other fun experiences in this country of contrasts.

Ida Maria Fritzell and Maria Sehlin moved to Singapore with their families in 2014 and their roads crossed when they started working with SWEA Magazine Singapore. For a couple of years they were resident tourists who embarked on fun explorations, and it was then that the idea for the book was born.

“We often received a lot of response and many questions after our excursions were posted on Instagram and Facebook. They wanted to know more about these unknown places beyond the well-troden paths. It gave us the idea of making a book about the favorite places we had visited and collected pictures and knowledge of, though with more focus on pictures than a traditional guidebook,” says Ida-Maria Fritzell.

“This is the book we would have liked to have when we moving here! It is a personal guidebook with more than 400 photos. In the book, we provide a broad insights about Singapore and lots of tips on fun things to do and discover here. During our years we have been on constant exploration in Singapore with the camera as the best company. We have taken about half of the photos each, “says Maria Sehlin.

”I also wrote a big travel story for Dagens Nyheter [a Swedish daily] when Singapore celeberated 50 years in 2015, and realized that I had so much more to tell; Singapore could simply not be squeezed into one article!”

For the chapter about the old city quarters they have also hired the Singapore-Swede Annelie Olsson, who did nice map illustrations where the authors had noted suggestions for fun stops.

“Swedish is our first language, but we hope to also publish it in English. We will first see first how it goes with the Swedish edition. We published the book at our own expense because we found it was missing and felt so strongly that we wanted to do it,” states the authors.

The book is perfect for visitors who want to make discoveris outside the typical tourist spots and perfect if one has guests and want to explore fun-filled hikes! The book also works as a Singapore memorial with its many photographs and can also be a fun way to introduce Singapore to a visiting friend or newcomer.

Footnote: Maria Sehlin is a Swedish journalist and editor with a long background from daily press, including SDS, and her own freelance company Redaktionen.nu HB, from Malmö. Ida Maria Fritzell is a Swedish designer, from Växjö. Both are dedicated photographers and stand together behind the photographs in the book.

The book, published in Swedish language, can be purchased online via vartsingapore.tictail.com.

Seven marble columns from the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, acquired more than a century ago by a former Norwegian cavalry officer who had settled in China, are set to return home this fall under an agreement between a Norwegian museum and a Chinese businessman.

The columns are part of a 2,500-piece collection of Chinese artifacts in the KODE Art Museums of Bergen that were donated by Johan Wilhelm Normann Munthe between 1907 and 1935.

Read more: Sinosphere

ScandAsia’s Agneta Bekassy has asked a two well-known Scandinavian residents in Thailand, who have lived in Bangkok for more than 20 years, what they think about Bangkok of the past and now. What are their favorite restaurants, shopping malls and things to do!

Photos: Daniel Herron

Mrs Eva Sophonpanich, born in Bangkok to Swedish parents.

 Eva knows Bangkok by heart and she remembers her first school and how they used to have lessons sitting outside by the khlongs, in the middle of Bangkok.

She said, in the 1950 the city didn’t have all the high skyscrapers you see now. The tallest buildings at that time were Dusit Thani Hotel and Narai Hotel. There were many more small khlongs (waterways) than today. Bangkok use to be called “the Venice of Asia. “

The streets were bordered with trees and no sky train or underground transit system.

She also points out what a difference the developing of Sky Train and MRT have done to the traffic and city life, the whole infrastructure has changed a lot, both for good and for the not so good Eva says.

We asked her if she has a favorite restaurant where she goes for lunch alone, or with friends, her answer comes quick:

“In this city we have plenty of lovely restaurants e.g. Ariya som Villa at Sukhumvit Soi 1, a genuine restaurant and small hotel that takes you away to the past, serving healthy dishes and with a huge choice of vegetarian dishes, which suits me perfect. If I want something more casual and modern I often chose Kuppa at Sukhumvit soi 16. They serve good Italian food, lovely salads and sandwiches in a modern atmosphere.

For dinner I like Rossano’s at Sukhumvit soi 19. That restaurant gives you a feeling of being in Tuscany and the food keeps a very constant, good quality.”

Last question, what is your favorite shopping mall in Bangkok? The answer is Central Chidlom.

Mrs Tina Zarlimee

 Mrs Tina Zarlimee, also Swedish, has been living in Thailand for more than 20 years. Tina is married to a Thai, has a 23 years old son and lives in Hua Hin, but is often in Bangkok where she has a successful travel agency “Nordic Travel” in Sukhumvit soi 20.

Tina came to Thailand due to her job. She didn’t know much about Thailand until destiny took her here. Today by looking back, she also points out the differences Bangkok has gone through during the years.

“When I first moved into my little town house at Sukhumvit soi 20, the area opposite our house, was kind of a slum area. With cock fighting games every Sunday and lots of motorbikes with black smoke just outside our living room, but today, this area has become exclusive and very popular.
To get from one place to another in a taxi took over 2 hours at that time, but I got used to it and learned the Thai way of accepting the situation without getting stressed. The word “stress” did not exist then, just had to follow the lifestyle, which made me feel good. Her feelings about Sky train and MRT are mixed, of course she sees the advantage with these conveyances, but she mourns the lack of old trees along the streets.

Tina also has noticed that during the last years, interest by her clients to visit neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Now she has to arrange customized trips for her customers to these countries all year around.

I asked her about her favorite restaurants, she also laughs and says:

“I have many, many, but if I go myself for a quick bite, I often chose Greyhounds at Emporium or Tong Lee, which is more like a hole in the wall, but with delicious Thai dishes and close to my office. Another very nice place is Kin Lom Chom Saphan by Rama 8 Bridge; from there it is near to the Khao San Road, an interesting road for visitors. I could mention many more, but these are among the preferred ones”.

What about shopping malls I ask.

“Well, I feel most at home at Central Chidlom, not so found of the big malls and if I have visitors I also like to take them to Asiatique, both for shopping and dinner.” Tina says.

With smoke belching around them, Jorgen and Khun Tip cheered in champagne.

Danish old-timer, Jorgen Lundbaek looks back at almost 50 years of good time in Bangkok.

Photos Disraporn Yatprom

Jorgen Lundbaek celebrated his 70 year birthday on Sunday 12 October 2014 with a big party in Captains Pub & Restaurant on the ground floor of Mermaid Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 29 in Bangkok.

The 70 year old Dane is one of the resident Danes who has been living the longest time in Bangkok.

“I first came to Bangkok by ship in October 1960 but then went on to Vietnam. When I came back in November 1966 it was with the intention to stay one month. I had a good job in Vietnam, but I never went back. Instead I started working for another American company in Bangkok for two years and then I started with Captain Bent and Sven Marquardsen our own company. They have passed away but the result of that company is what you can see here.”

Looking back, Jorgen Lundbaek defines the turning point for his business success as the time when he joined Thoresen & Co.

“I started in the Marine Surveying business and doing that I realized that nobody was selling marine safety equipment services. Then I started that business with Viking from Denmark and that was the start of the success.”

“We started up as a small company and build it up slowly but then after a few years we joined the Norwegian company Thoresen & Co. and from that moment, things changed. They were on the stock exchange and had money to invest and it was from that point that it went big time. I would say that became the backbone of the success. We set up Mermaid Safety Services and then it changed to Mermaid Maritime and Mermaid Offshore and it was all a 100 pct success.”

Currently, Jorgen is busy in Vietnam with safety equipment so you could say the circle is complete.

ScandAsia’s birthday gift to Jorgen Lundbaek was wrapped in a copy of Bulletin – the member magazine of Scandinavian Society Siam. The wrapping was fitting since the SSS is the oldest association of Scandinavians living in Thailand. But Jorgen is not the oldest joining member of the Society – that honour goes to Poul Weber (1960), Ulla Dohlon (1961) and Ole Madsen (1966).

“I didn’t join the Scandinavian Society during the first year that I came back from Vietnam, so it must be in 1967 that I became a member,” he recalls. This was the same year that the SSS was joined by a bunch of other old timers: Anders Normann, Ib Ottesen and Henrik Hansen.

Later, when the Danish Thai Chamber of Commerce was formed, he also joined that and has remained a member since the beginning.

Describing Bangkok during his early years here, Jorgen focuses on the fun, he had.

“We only had four places to go for entertainment, it was either Suriwong, Silom, Sathorn and New Road. I was a young guy at the time so I went to Patpong every night and I had a great time!”

“You can say that was the foundation of my success,” he laughs.

For a 70 year old guy, Jorgen is both mentally and physically in an exceptionally good shape. He credits this to “all the fitness I am running around doing,” but surely his solid “foundation” from partying in the 60’s must also have something to do with it!

Ib Ottesen and Jorgen Lundbaek both joined Scandinavian Society Siam in 1967.

Jorgen with his captain’s cap and Khun Tip cutting the birthday cake – an old pirate ship build in cake and chocolate.

The Danish Consulate in Pattaya will be closed down on 10th March 2015. According to the Embassy, the closing is part of an overall adaption of the structure and tasks of the Danish Honorary Consulates. The demand for consular services have changed, and also new communication channels and technologies as well as new requirements such as bio-metric production of passports has influenced the tasks of Honorary Consulates.

The Danish Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther explains:

“Far most of the tasks that the Consulate is carrying out for the Danish people can be done by e-mail or by surface mail directly to the Embassy in Bangkok, and there is no need to go personally to the office or travel to Bangkok. With the requirement of bio-metric registration for obtaining a new passport, there would always need to visit the Embassy in Bangkok anyway.

The only slight inconvenience, the Ambassador can think of would be emergency passports and passports for children, where there will now be a need to travel to Bangkok.

“However last year we only received less than 20 in total for those two types, so it is hardly worth mentioning,” he adds.

The Ambassador thinks that the Danes in Pattaya will find that the Embassy will provide a quick and efficient service for them either by e-mail or normal postal services and with no need to go personally to the office.

“Danish people with more serious needs in terms of arrest, serious illness, or other needs for assistance, will receive the same assistance as in the past,” he adds.

Regrets the closure

Consul Stig Vagt-Andersen regrets the closure of the consulate which, in his opinion, hurts the weakest of the Danes living in the Eastern Seaboard area who regularly needs consular services. He adds, that as he has not been consulted prior to the decision there has been no opportunity for him to speak out for the Danish residents in the consulate district.

“Among the estimated 900 Danish visit, that we have had last year, 200 of them are pensioners on one year Thai retirement visa, whereof a quarter are an average of 75 years old,” says Consul Stig Vagt-Andersen.

“Besides our elderly Danes then families with young kids under 12 will also find it inconvenient to travel with infants to Bangkok to make their children’s passports.”

“Danish enterprises in the Eastern Seaboard industrial estates and shipping to Laem Chabang port will also be negatively affected as they no longer will have access to flexible consulate services locally. This will sadly create additional cost and loss of time for these companies”.

“I took the initiative to open the Danish consulate 16 years ago in Pattaya, with support of Ambassador Niels K Dyrlund, based on a clearly identified need for local consular services. At that time we reached the clear conclusion that the consulate offered both cost benefits and improved service levels.”

“Although we locally only have seen the need for consular services grow steadily year by year, we however, have to accept that we regrettably no longer will be able to provide these services,” says Stig Vagt-Andersen.

Honorary Consul-General for Denmark in Thailand Mr Anders Normann will complete his term in 2015, the Embassy of Denmark, Bangkok, announced on 29 July 2015.

The Danish Ambassador Mikael Winther hosted a dinner at his residence to honour Mr Anders Normann who has served as Honorary Consul-General since 1997. Mr. Normann has rendered quality and faithful services to the Embassy and received the order of Knight of Dannebrog 1st grade by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, wrote the embassy.

Photo: Thyra, thyra2005.blogspot.com

The old Thai style house in Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus will now be renovated on the initiative of former Member of the Thai Senate Dr. Pensak Chagsuchinda Howitz. The Thai House has long been a symbol of the significant relations between Denmark and Thailand.

The Thai House was given to Denmark as a gift by the government of Thailand in 1975 and was erected at Moesgaard to be part of the museum’s summer exhibition that year, which was dedicated to Thailand. The house is around 100 years old and originally from Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam, 200 km north of Bangkok.

In 2006, it was renovated for the first time, again with involvement of Dr. Pensak, whose interest in Denmark goes back to her  time when she was married to former Danish Ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Franz Howitz.

From 18 August until 26 August, Dr. Pensak arranged for a week long visit to Denmark of Mr. Anek Sihamat, Academic Advisor to Princess Sirinthorn Institute and former Director General of Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture. During the visit, they met with Mr. Ulrik Høj Johnsen from the Institute for Culture and Society under the University of Aarhus, Curator at Moesgaard Museum, Professor Mikael Gravers and Professor Jan Skamby Madsen, Director of Moesgaard Museum, Svend Erik Jensen, building manager at the museum, as well as Mr. Tobias Mürsch,  a  young talented  Danish architect likely to be involved in the project.

After an inspection of the Thai House and a meeting to outline the project in a Memorandum of Understanding, it was decided to try to renovate the house back to its original form 130 year ago in Thailand. It will be attempted to bring one or more Thai  architects to Aarhus along with one or more Thai carpenters skilled in building this style of house to carry out the renovation and transfer their Thai wood working techniques to a team of Danish carpenters working with similar kind of renovation projects at Moesgaard and other museums in Denmark.

Previous news about the house: Re-opening Thai House at the Moesgaard Museum

Peder Madsen Jorgensen, who has been more closely involved with the lives of the poor rural people of Thailand than any other living Dane today, celebrates on Sunday 27 September the 80th birthday of his adventurous life.

Peder Jorgensen and his wife Ruth Eleanor Jorgensen – born Leed – lived altogether 22 years in Thailand as missionaries; first 1962-71 in Central Thailand and then in North East Thailand from 1983 to 1995.

The couple has since several times revisited the country on shorter travels.

Son of a farmer, Peder grew up in Bøvl Mark near Sønder Omme in Denmark. This hands-on knowledge of farming and the mentality of farmers became useful during his stay among farmers in the North East of Thailand.

During Peder Jorgensen’s intermediary years back in Denmark, he continued his humanitarian work. Here he is portrayed collecting used eye glasses to be sent to Thailand.

Peder Jorgensen was educated deacon from Filadelfia in Dianalund in Soroe and had worked at Kirkens Korshaers Nicolai Tjeneste in Copenhagen. Ruth was educated a midwife. When they left for their first period in Thailand, the couple had already two children, a three year old daughter Kirsten, who had been accompanying her parents on a language training course in England, and the only five month old son Thorkild. Later they had one more daughter, Anne-Marie during their stay in Thailand.

In her book published a few years ago, “Fra Limfjorden til Mekhong” http://www.blissart.dk/ruths-bog.html, Ruth recalls and tells vividly of how difficult life with three children was for the family in Thailand when the husband was more away helping others than at home helping her.

Leprosy work
During their first period in Thailand, from 1962 to 1972, Peder and Ruth were on an assignment for OMF – Overseas Missionary Fellowship. While Ruth worked as a midwife, it was Peder’s task to work with people with leprosy in Nongbua in Nakornsawan and Manorom in Chainat in the western part of Central Thailand. Leprosy was at that time still quite wide spread. It was an uphill task to teach the population about new medicines that could cure the disease and help the ones already disabled by it. Most of them lived as professional beggars. Among his achievements during his work in Nongbua was the creation of a hospital and leprosy rehabilitation center for OMF. The patients were here surrounded by a farming area of 80 hectare of land which could sustain up to 100 families. At the time this was built, 1966, the Thai population was only 32 million people.

For Peder Jorgensen, bringing Christ to people is only one side of being a missionary. But the living proof of Christ is to work to alleviate the poverty of the people around him. When someone took to his good example and wanted to be baptized, he always asked a local Thai priest to baptize the newly converted Christian.

In 1972, the couple returned to Denmark after nine years – interrupted by a few breaks – in Thailand and settled in Karup in Jutland. The main reason was the consideration for the school education of their three children. Ruth became mid-wife for the region and Peder found employment with the local municipality until a few years later he became secretary general for the Santalmissionen.

Phibun Mangsahan
But in 1984 Peder and Ruth returned to Thailand again, this time to Phibun Mangsahan north of Ubon Ratchathani in the Northeast of Thailand on a mission for the Norwegian Missionary Society. It was during this period, that Peder and Ruth Jorgensen started the project of building a home for bright children of poor people who this way would get the chance to take a higher education. This home, Ban Immanuel, became the crown of their work in Thailand. It made it possible for for hundreds of young people in the area to move up in the Thai society and achieve positions they would otherwise never have been able to.

Another achievement was in 1994 to built a Church in Phibun Mangsahan. The unique octagonal building is designed by the Danish architect Henrik Chr. Thomsen. The bell tower next to the church received the bell from Hjortshoej Church near Aarhus in Denmark. The building and the Church bell are still there, but under the influence of Thai lack of understanding of maintenance, the Danish legacy is slowly falling apart.

Artifact collection
Peder Jorgensen has always been fascinated by the old skills of the rural Thai people and the tools of their skills. He found it genius how the managed to use simple materials available in their natural surroundings to produce tools to exist in harmony with nature. He started early on collecting rarities simply out of curiosity. As his collection grew he soon became more systematic and over more than fifty years he has diligently built up the number of specimens and value of this collection. Often these items were simply daily household tools that he was keenly aware would soon no longer exist.

For many years, the collection was the pride of his large study in his home near Ikast in Denmark, but over the past few years, the majority of the artifacts have been cataloged and transferred to the Thailand collection at Moesgaard Museum’s near Arhus in Denmark where they will be preserved for the future.

For Moesgaard Musuem, the collection is unique because many of the old skills, production methods and trades no longer exits.

In 2001, when it was decided to establish a major exhibition in Bangkok during the upcoming State Visit to Thailand of H.M. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Peder Jorgensen was called upon to establish this together with Sigurd Rambusch of the National Danish Archive and then curator at Moesgaard Museum, Professor Jesper Trier.

H.M. the Queen opened the exhibition on 8 February at the National Museum of Thailand in Bangkok. It presented examples of the long and close relationship and cooperation between Denmark and Thailand including the archaeological work of Dr. Pensak Howitz, wife of the former Danish ambassador to Thailand.

Peder Jorgensen had shortly before this event published a book by Major Erik Seidenfaden entitled “The Royal Siamese Provincial Gendarmerie” in which Major Seidenfaden had served for a number of years. Peder Jorgensen noticed when going through material at the National Archives in Copenhagen that it said that Major Seidenfaden had written a book, but it had never been published. Curious, Peder Jorgensen found the manuscript in Bangkok and with the help of benevolent foundations he managed to have it published. The book is today only available as second hand.

Peder Jorgensen with his Friends of Thailand award, which he received in Bangkok 2010.

Friend of Thailand
Peder Jorgensens love for Thailand and the Thais have also led him to undertake numerous trips as a guide to Thailand for Danish travel agents and readers of a range of Danish local papers.

In 2010 he received official recognition for his dedication to introducing Thailand to the many groups he had been leading around the country when the Tourism Authority of Thailand awarded him the Friends of Thailand award.

The year after, in 2011, Peter Jorgensen and Ruth visited Thailand and Phibun Mangsahan for the last time so far. The visit was to inaugurate a new building at the Immanuel home which Peder Jorgensen had worked tirelessly to collect 600.000 Danish kroner – over 2 Million Thai Baht – for the construction of. The new building increased the capacity of the home with another 16 boys and 16 girls to a total of 60 students. The existing building that Peder and Ruth erected during their time in Thailand was at the same time given a thorough maintenance check-up.

Peder Jorgensen’s 80 year birthday will be celebrated with his wife Ruth, who over the recent years has suffered from a number of rheumatic and other illnesses, as well as with the couple’s three children.

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It has been this writer’s privilege over the years to write several articles about Peder Jorgensen. Here are links to some of them:

A Life at Rice Root Level

Old Danish graves – who cares?

Friends of Thailand Award

All photos: Hasse Ferrold.

Royal Thai Embassy in Copenhagen hosted an event at the Residence of the Thai Ambassador, H.E. Mrs. Vimol Kidchob on 7.March 2016 where the Royal Thai Navy uniform of Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu was given to back to Thailand. Admiral Richelieu served prominently King Chulalongkorn of Thailand in a number of positions, among others as Chief of the Royal Thai Navy.

Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu (1852-1932) was born on 24 February 1852 in Loejt Kirkeby, Southern Jylland.

In 1875, Richelieu, then a young Danish naval officer, came to Siam with the letter of introduction by King Christian IX of Denmark. Richelieu served as the captain of the Royal Yacht for many years and sailed extensively with King Chulalongkorn, especially during seasons of inspection.

He went on to become the first and only foreign-born commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy, from 1900 to 1901. For his contributions, King Rama V awarded him the noble title of Phraya Chonlayutthayothin.

When Richelieu moved back to Denmark in 1902, King Chulalongkorn and members of the Royal Family saw him off to Singapore on board the Royal Yacht “Maha Chakri” as a sign of friendship.

Royal Thai Embassy received the in total five navy uniforms from Richelieu’s grandson Andreas Hastrup at the reception on 7.March 2016.

The Swedes Maria Sehlin and Ida Maria Fritzell have written a book about Singapore favourites among resident “tourists”, after a few years living in Singapore. With that, they want to show more Swedes the way to the multicultural city and exciting attractions outside the usual tourist districts.

Book authors Ida Maria Fritzell and Maria Sehlin

Tourism to Singapore increases every year and now the city state can easily be compared to the tourist metropolises of Hong Kong and Bangkok that have for long been popular destinations, states the authors. Singapore can with its rich cultural range, tropical climate and cool tourist attractions measure its “neighbors”.

And with streghtned Nordic flight connections to Singapore (Norwegian and Singapore Airlines) accessibility to visit increases further. Singapore is a hub for travellers in Southeast Asia, on route to other popular destinations like Bali, Australia, Malaysia or Thailand.

“Singapore is a small but fascinating country with cool contrasts that are not to be found elsewhere in the world,” says Maria Sehlin who has lived in Singapore since 2014. “You can take the subway to the jungle and meet wild monkeys or crocodiles. The country’s multicultural base makes us celebrate New Year several times a year and there are traditions and holidays for several different religions. In addition, the country’s varied background has provided interesting expressions in the city’s architecture,” she says.

They highlight this in the guidebook ‘Our Singapore – The Resident Tourists’ Favorites’, which presents favorite places both on and off the tourist strip. It is an inspiring guidebook with its 144 pages, 400 color photographs, background history, curiosities, facts and directions to places of interest. They show the way to local food markets, fun neighborhoods, inexpensive pleasures, cool jungles, the wild-crocodile wetland, the tallest rooftops, fascinating architecture and other fun experiences in this country of contrasts.

Ida Maria Fritzell and Maria Sehlin moved to Singapore with their families in 2014 and their roads crossed when they started working with SWEA Magazine Singapore. For a couple of years they were resident tourists who embarked on fun explorations, and it was then that the idea for the book was born.

“We often received a lot of response and many questions after our excursions were posted on Instagram and Facebook. They wanted to know more about these unknown places beyond the well-troden paths. It gave us the idea of making a book about the favorite places we had visited and collected pictures and knowledge of, though with more focus on pictures than a traditional guidebook,” says Ida-Maria Fritzell.

“This is the book we would have liked to have when we moving here! It is a personal guidebook with more than 400 photos. In the book, we provide a broad insights about Singapore and lots of tips on fun things to do and discover here. During our years we have been on constant exploration in Singapore with the camera as the best company. We have taken about half of the photos each, “says Maria Sehlin.

”I also wrote a big travel story for Dagens Nyheter [a Swedish daily] when Singapore celeberated 50 years in 2015, and realized that I had so much more to tell; Singapore could simply not be squeezed into one article!”

For the chapter about the old city quarters they have also hired the Singapore-Swede Annelie Olsson, who did nice map illustrations where the authors had noted suggestions for fun stops.

“Swedish is our first language, but we hope to also publish it in English. We will first see first how it goes with the Swedish edition. We published the book at our own expense because we found it was missing and felt so strongly that we wanted to do it,” states the authors.

The book is perfect for visitors who want to make discoveris outside the typical tourist spots and perfect if one has guests and want to explore fun-filled hikes! The book also works as a Singapore memorial with its many photographs and can also be a fun way to introduce Singapore to a visiting friend or newcomer.

Footnote: Maria Sehlin is a Swedish journalist and editor with a long background from daily press, including SDS, and her own freelance company Redaktionen.nu HB, from Malmö. Ida Maria Fritzell is a Swedish designer, from Växjö. Both are dedicated photographers and stand together behind the photographs in the book.

The book, published in Swedish language, can be purchased online via vartsingapore.tictail.com.

H.E. Ms. Vimon Kidchob, Ambassador of Thailand to Denmark, attended on 27 September 2017 together with Ms. Pratana Disyattat, Minister Counsellor at the embassy in Copenhagen, the Opening Ceremony of the Thai House at Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus upon the completion of a major renovation.

The ceremony was attended by more thsn 50 people from relevant parties including the Royal Thai Embassy in Copenhagen, Moesgaard Museum, and Thai communities in Aarhus and nearby areas.

The Thai House is an old Thai style wooden house from Sri Ayutthaya Province. It was a given in 1975 to the museum as a gift from Dr. Pensak Chagsuchinda, the President of Raindrop Foundation and the spouse of H.E. Mr. Frantz Howitz, former Danish Ambassador to Thailand.

The renovation was completed in the first week of September 2017 with financial support from the Royal Thai Government. The project is a result of the close cooperation between the Royal Thai Embassy in Copenhagen and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand, the Department of Fine Arts, the Raindrop Foundation and Moesgaard Museum.

The Thai House is the only foreign piece of architecture on the grounds of Moesgaard Museum and represents the long relations between Thailand and Denmark of 400 years.

In the past, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark have visited the Thai House on seperate occasions.

The opening also marked the end of the assignment of Ms. Vimon Kidchob, as Thai Ambassador to Denmark.

During the renovation – or the “re-authentication” as it may technically be called – members of the Sawasdee ThaI Dansk Forening had prepared Thai food daily for the Thai architect and three skilled workers from Thailand who had been working on the project and at the opening, the members of the association had also prepared all the food.

Chairman of the the Sawasdee Thai Dansk Forening, Suphan Ruengkratok, presented a cultural Thai dance performed by members of the association and participated in the ceremony of sending off the Thai Ambassador after the completion of her term in Denmark.

Seven marble columns from the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, acquired more than a century ago by a former Norwegian cavalry officer who had settled in China, are set to return home this fall under an agreement between a Norwegian museum and a Chinese businessman.

The columns are part of a 2,500-piece collection of Chinese artifacts in the KODE Art Museums of Bergen that were donated by Johan Wilhelm Normann Munthe between 1907 and 1935.

Read more: Sinosphere

ScandAsia’s Agneta Bekassy has asked a two well-known Scandinavian residents in Thailand, who have lived in Bangkok for more than 20 years, what they think about Bangkok of the past and now. What are their favorite restaurants, shopping malls and things to do!

Photos: Daniel Herron

Mrs Eva Sophonpanich, born in Bangkok to Swedish parents.

 Eva knows Bangkok by heart and she remembers her first school and how they used to have lessons sitting outside by the khlongs, in the middle of Bangkok.

She said, in the 1950 the city didn’t have all the high skyscrapers you see now. The tallest buildings at that time were Dusit Thani Hotel and Narai Hotel. There were many more small khlongs (waterways) than today. Bangkok use to be called “the Venice of Asia. “

The streets were bordered with trees and no sky train or underground transit system.

She also points out what a difference the developing of Sky Train and MRT have done to the traffic and city life, the whole infrastructure has changed a lot, both for good and for the not so good Eva says.

We asked her if she has a favorite restaurant where she goes for lunch alone, or with friends, her answer comes quick:

“In this city we have plenty of lovely restaurants e.g. Ariya som Villa at Sukhumvit Soi 1, a genuine restaurant and small hotel that takes you away to the past, serving healthy dishes and with a huge choice of vegetarian dishes, which suits me perfect. If I want something more casual and modern I often chose Kuppa at Sukhumvit soi 16. They serve good Italian food, lovely salads and sandwiches in a modern atmosphere.

For dinner I like Rossano’s at Sukhumvit soi 19. That restaurant gives you a feeling of being in Tuscany and the food keeps a very constant, good quality.”

Last question, what is your favorite shopping mall in Bangkok? The answer is Central Chidlom.

Mrs Tina Zarlimee

 Mrs Tina Zarlimee, also Swedish, has been living in Thailand for more than 20 years. Tina is married to a Thai, has a 23 years old son and lives in Hua Hin, but is often in Bangkok where she has a successful travel agency “Nordic Travel” in Sukhumvit soi 20.

Tina came to Thailand due to her job. She didn’t know much about Thailand until destiny took her here. Today by looking back, she also points out the differences Bangkok has gone through during the years.

“When I first moved into my little town house at Sukhumvit soi 20, the area opposite our house, was kind of a slum area. With cock fighting games every Sunday and lots of motorbikes with black smoke just outside our living room, but today, this area has become exclusive and very popular.
To get from one place to another in a taxi took over 2 hours at that time, but I got used to it and learned the Thai way of accepting the situation without getting stressed. The word “stress” did not exist then, just had to follow the lifestyle, which made me feel good. Her feelings about Sky train and MRT are mixed, of course she sees the advantage with these conveyances, but she mourns the lack of old trees along the streets.

Tina also has noticed that during the last years, interest by her clients to visit neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Now she has to arrange customized trips for her customers to these countries all year around.

I asked her about her favorite restaurants, she also laughs and says:

“I have many, many, but if I go myself for a quick bite, I often chose Greyhounds at Emporium or Tong Lee, which is more like a hole in the wall, but with delicious Thai dishes and close to my office. Another very nice place is Kin Lom Chom Saphan by Rama 8 Bridge; from there it is near to the Khao San Road, an interesting road for visitors. I could mention many more, but these are among the preferred ones”.

What about shopping malls I ask.

“Well, I feel most at home at Central Chidlom, not so found of the big malls and if I have visitors I also like to take them to Asiatique, both for shopping and dinner.” Tina says.

With smoke belching around them, Jorgen and Khun Tip cheered in champagne.

Danish old-timer, Jorgen Lundbaek looks back at almost 50 years of good time in Bangkok.

Photos Disraporn Yatprom

Jorgen Lundbaek celebrated his 70 year birthday on Sunday 12 October 2014 with a big party in Captains Pub & Restaurant on the ground floor of Mermaid Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 29 in Bangkok.

The 70 year old Dane is one of the resident Danes who has been living the longest time in Bangkok.

“I first came to Bangkok by ship in October 1960 but then went on to Vietnam. When I came back in November 1966 it was with the intention to stay one month. I had a good job in Vietnam, but I never went back. Instead I started working for another American company in Bangkok for two years and then I started with Captain Bent and Sven Marquardsen our own company. They have passed away but the result of that company is what you can see here.”

Looking back, Jorgen Lundbaek defines the turning point for his business success as the time when he joined Thoresen & Co.

“I started in the Marine Surveying business and doing that I realized that nobody was selling marine safety equipment services. Then I started that business with Viking from Denmark and that was the start of the success.”

“We started up as a small company and build it up slowly but then after a few years we joined the Norwegian company Thoresen & Co. and from that moment, things changed. They were on the stock exchange and had money to invest and it was from that point that it went big time. I would say that became the backbone of the success. We set up Mermaid Safety Services and then it changed to Mermaid Maritime and Mermaid Offshore and it was all a 100 pct success.”

Currently, Jorgen is busy in Vietnam with safety equipment so you could say the circle is complete.

ScandAsia’s birthday gift to Jorgen Lundbaek was wrapped in a copy of Bulletin – the member magazine of Scandinavian Society Siam. The wrapping was fitting since the SSS is the oldest association of Scandinavians living in Thailand. But Jorgen is not the oldest joining member of the Society – that honour goes to Poul Weber (1960), Ulla Dohlon (1961) and Ole Madsen (1966).

“I didn’t join the Scandinavian Society during the first year that I came back from Vietnam, so it must be in 1967 that I became a member,” he recalls. This was the same year that the SSS was joined by a bunch of other old timers: Anders Normann, Ib Ottesen and Henrik Hansen.

Later, when the Danish Thai Chamber of Commerce was formed, he also joined that and has remained a member since the beginning.

Describing Bangkok during his early years here, Jorgen focuses on the fun, he had.

“We only had four places to go for entertainment, it was either Suriwong, Silom, Sathorn and New Road. I was a young guy at the time so I went to Patpong every night and I had a great time!”

“You can say that was the foundation of my success,” he laughs.

For a 70 year old guy, Jorgen is both mentally and physically in an exceptionally good shape. He credits this to “all the fitness I am running around doing,” but surely his solid “foundation” from partying in the 60’s must also have something to do with it!

Ib Ottesen and Jorgen Lundbaek both joined Scandinavian Society Siam in 1967.

Jorgen with his captain’s cap and Khun Tip cutting the birthday cake – an old pirate ship build in cake and chocolate.

The Danish Consulate in Pattaya will be closed down on 10th March 2015. According to the Embassy, the closing is part of an overall adaption of the structure and tasks of the Danish Honorary Consulates. The demand for consular services have changed, and also new communication channels and technologies as well as new requirements such as bio-metric production of passports has influenced the tasks of Honorary Consulates.

The Danish Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther explains:

“Far most of the tasks that the Consulate is carrying out for the Danish people can be done by e-mail or by surface mail directly to the Embassy in Bangkok, and there is no need to go personally to the office or travel to Bangkok. With the requirement of bio-metric registration for obtaining a new passport, there would always need to visit the Embassy in Bangkok anyway.

The only slight inconvenience, the Ambassador can think of would be emergency passports and passports for children, where there will now be a need to travel to Bangkok.

“However last year we only received less than 20 in total for those two types, so it is hardly worth mentioning,” he adds.

The Ambassador thinks that the Danes in Pattaya will find that the Embassy will provide a quick and efficient service for them either by e-mail or normal postal services and with no need to go personally to the office.

“Danish people with more serious needs in terms of arrest, serious illness, or other needs for assistance, will receive the same assistance as in the past,” he adds.

Regrets the closure

Consul Stig Vagt-Andersen regrets the closure of the consulate which, in his opinion, hurts the weakest of the Danes living in the Eastern Seaboard area who regularly needs consular services. He adds, that as he has not been consulted prior to the decision there has been no opportunity for him to speak out for the Danish residents in the consulate district.

“Among the estimated 900 Danish visit, that we have had last year, 200 of them are pensioners on one year Thai retirement visa, whereof a quarter are an average of 75 years old,” says Consul Stig Vagt-Andersen.

“Besides our elderly Danes then families with young kids under 12 will also find it inconvenient to travel with infants to Bangkok to make their children’s passports.”

“Danish enterprises in the Eastern Seaboard industrial estates and shipping to Laem Chabang port will also be negatively affected as they no longer will have access to flexible consulate services locally. This will sadly create additional cost and loss of time for these companies”.

“I took the initiative to open the Danish consulate 16 years ago in Pattaya, with support of Ambassador Niels K Dyrlund, based on a clearly identified need for local consular services. At that time we reached the clear conclusion that the consulate offered both cost benefits and improved service levels.”

“Although we locally only have seen the need for consular services grow steadily year by year, we however, have to accept that we regrettably no longer will be able to provide these services,” says Stig Vagt-Andersen.

Honorary Consul-General for Denmark in Thailand Mr Anders Normann will complete his term in 2015, the Embassy of Denmark, Bangkok, announced on 29 July 2015.

The Danish Ambassador Mikael Winther hosted a dinner at his residence to honour Mr Anders Normann who has served as Honorary Consul-General since 1997. Mr. Normann has rendered quality and faithful services to the Embassy and received the order of Knight of Dannebrog 1st grade by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, wrote the embassy.

Photo: Thyra, thyra2005.blogspot.com

The old Thai style house in Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus will now be renovated on the initiative of former Member of the Thai Senate Dr. Pensak Chagsuchinda Howitz. The Thai House has long been a symbol of the significant relations between Denmark and Thailand.

The Thai House was given to Denmark as a gift by the government of Thailand in 1975 and was erected at Moesgaard to be part of the museum’s summer exhibition that year, which was dedicated to Thailand. The house is around 100 years old and originally from Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam, 200 km north of Bangkok.

In 2006, it was renovated for the first time, again with involvement of Dr. Pensak, whose interest in Denmark goes back to her  time when she was married to former Danish Ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Franz Howitz.

From 18 August until 26 August, Dr. Pensak arranged for a week long visit to Denmark of Mr. Anek Sihamat, Academic Advisor to Princess Sirinthorn Institute and former Director General of Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture. During the visit, they met with Mr. Ulrik Høj Johnsen from the Institute for Culture and Society under the University of Aarhus, Curator at Moesgaard Museum, Professor Mikael Gravers and Professor Jan Skamby Madsen, Director of Moesgaard Museum, Svend Erik Jensen, building manager at the museum, as well as Mr. Tobias Mürsch,  a  young talented  Danish architect likely to be involved in the project.

After an inspection of the Thai House and a meeting to outline the project in a Memorandum of Understanding, it was decided to try to renovate the house back to its original form 130 year ago in Thailand. It will be attempted to bring one or more Thai  architects to Aarhus along with one or more Thai carpenters skilled in building this style of house to carry out the renovation and transfer their Thai wood working techniques to a team of Danish carpenters working with similar kind of renovation projects at Moesgaard and other museums in Denmark.

Previous news about the house: Re-opening Thai House at the Moesgaard Museum