Journal Entry #24

A Person Who Has Made a Differece : King Chulalongkorn, Rama V
The Fifth King of the Chakri Dynasty

King Chulalongkorn, Rama V was the fifth king of Thailand. He got enthroned when he was a child because his father died. He made many differences to his country in many ways. First, he established an education system because he liked to study, and he knew that education is necessary. He was the first king of Thailand who had a western education. He brought the education system from the west into Thailand. Also, he set up many schools and universities. One of many schools’ name is Suankularb. Suankularb is school that still is well known today. Also, Chulalongkorn University is the first university that was established by him, and it is the best university in Thailand. He gave Thai people the knowledge that education can help us to improve our life. He wanted Thai people have a lot of knowledge. Otherwise Thai people would be taken advantage of by foreigners. Second, He established a railway system. Therefore, Thai people got convenient transportation because before that time Thailand had only ox, carts, and elephants to transport. That was an inconvenient way. Also, Thai people had to spend a lot of time to go to other places before we had a railway system. Moreover, he established and set a communication system. Finally, he released the slaves. He gave slaves freedom and education. The first time a lot of people who had the slaves didn’t understand, and they fought. Therefore, he tried to explain that everyone has equal rights. Ultimately everyone understood and agreed with him. He was the first Thailand king who got the title, “Maharaj”, after his name. This title is given to a person who done many important and useful things. In conclusion, he made a lot of differences and brought Thailand into the civilized world. This is why the Thai people love and respect him.