Manich Jumsai

ML Manich Jumsai or Mō̜. Lo. Mānit Chumsāi , or Manit Choomsai for short, Thai ม.ล. มา นิจ ชุมสาย (born  October 5, 1908 in Chachoengsao , †  January 3, 2009 in Bangkok ) was a Thai scholar and teacher .

Life

Mo Lot Manich Jumsai's family had negligible financial resources. However, the son was able to win a scholarship from the King in 1925 and then went to England to study languages ​​and education at Trinity College , Cambridge . After graduating, he returned to Thailand and took on academic duties in the Ministry of Education . In 1940 he founded the Thai Teachers College , where he attached importance to the training of teachers in the countryside and women. This college of teachers later served as the basis for the Rajabhat system . The country's first experimental kindergarten , La-or Uthis, was also the work of Manich. He also wrote textbooks for the English language and designed special teaching programs for preschool .

In 1949 Manich helped found the later Srinakarinwirot University in Bangkok by purchasing a piece of land from Soi Prasanmit and making it available to Pin Malakul , the actual founder. The Royal Institute of Thailand was almost forgotten when Manich was able to revive its academic activities. From 1950 Manich worked at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and was responsible for training programs in developing countries. The most important result of this activity was the first creation of a font for the Laotian script , which was intended for a printing press in Vientiane .

Above all, the dictionaries initiated and edited by Manich for Thai-German-Thai, Thai-English-Thai and Thai-French-Thai are known abroad. During his time in Paris, however, Manich also took time to investigate and popularize the relationships between Siam / Thailand and the West. For this he collected old books, maps and manuscripts about Siam in European languages.

In 1972 Manich initiated the country's first book show, initially in tents along the street. Today the annual Bangkok Book Fair is one of the largest cultural events in Thailand.

Manich Jumsai died of heart failure on January 3, 2009 in Bangkok at the age of 100.

Publications (selection)

• Popular History Of Thailand . Chalermnite, Bangkok 1979.
• Thai folk tales . Chalermnit, Bangkok 2000, ISBN 974-85856-6-2 .
• The Story of King Narai and his Ambassador to France in 1686 Kosaparn . Chalermnit, Bangkok 1986.
• Guide to Thai Conversation & Phrases . Chalermnit, Bangkok 1990, ISBN 974-7390-25-6 .
• History of Anglo-Thai Relations . Chalermnite, Bangkok 1970.
• History of the Thai-German relations (from the files of the Thai Embassy in Bonn and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs) . Chalermnite, Bangkok 1978.
• Understanding Thai Buddhism . Paragon Book Gallery, 1980, ISBN 0-685-25238-8 .
• King Mongkut of Thailand and The British Monarch: The Model of Great Friendship . Chalermnite, Bangkok 2000.
• Compulsory Education in Thailand . UNESCO, Paris 1951.
• Thai Ramayana (German edition) of the ancient story in Sanskrit rewritten by King Rama I and then retold . Chalermnite, Bangkok 1971.
• History of Thai Literature . Chalermnit, Bangkok 2000, ISBN 974-85869-7-9 .
• Seven Hundred Years of Thai Writing . Chalermnite, Bangkok 1983.
• History of Laos . Chalermnite, Bangkok 1969.
• Geography of Siam . Rung-Rueng-Dharm Press, Bangkok 1948.
• Prince Prisdang's Files on His Diplomitic Activities in Europe 1880-1886 . Chalermnite, Bangkok 1977.
• King Mongkut and Sir John Bowring . Chalermnite, Bangkok 1970.

literature

• Who's who in Thailand 1986. Advance Publishing, Bangkok 1986

Note on Thai names : This article addresses people by their first name.