Thai people must be very proud, "poom jai mahk", at the news that Harvard plans to launch a Thai studies initiative.
It's
good to have some positive news come out of Thailand after the dreadful
and calamitous floods which seriously affected the economy and investor
confidence, not to mention the riots of last year and the ongoing
political uncertainty.
Apparently, Harvard is looking to raise $6 million in funds to support this programme. Michael Herzfeld, a Professor of anthropology at Harvard, who is
spearheading the initiative, said the Thai Foreign Ministry has given a
grant for an initial year with the possibility of renewal for a further
year as seed money to jump start Thai studies at Harvard. The grant from the ministry will support lectures and Thai language instruction at Harvard.
