Thai Airways International organises Plook Cheewit Hai Pandin Reforestation project

Thai Airways International is organizing the “Plook Cheewit Hai Pandin” project to celebrate the anniversary of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 80th Birthday on 5th December 2007 and to continue to preserve forested areas following the lead of His Majesty’s Royal Development Project. This year, THAI has arranged to bring 300 staff to participate in the project at Huai Sai Royal Development Center, Cha-Am District, Phetchaburi Province on Saturday 16 June 2007.

In the past, Huai Sai was a fertile and forested area. However, deforestation has occurred due to agricultural settlement in the area, while the predominantly pineapple cultivation which replaced the forest, has caused a problem of soil erosion in the dry and sandy soil. On April 5, 1983, His Majesty the King visited Huai Sai rural area and realized the need to initiate a development project, and therefore established Huai Sai Royal Development Study Center to directly benefit the people at the grassroots level and at the same time be consistent with the local physical, climatic and social environment conditions.

For the “Plook Cheewit Hai Pandin” Project, THAI has been given permission to plant and preserve the forest together with Office of the Royal Project Board led by Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Secretary-General of the Chaipattana Foundation, once a secretary of the Office of the Royal Project Board, who has led THAI staff on reforesting projects since 1995 and has organized reforestation events in 2001 and 2002. After 12 years of reforestation, the formerly deforested Huai Sai area is now fertile and forested. People living in the area are able to sell mushrooms from the forest earning 20,000 baht monthly from the annual sale of 40 tons of mushrooms.

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