Acclamation of His Majesty's Ingenuity Abroad
The potential of the Chaipattana Aerator for improving the quality of water has been accepted widely, both in Thailand and by foreign countries. The Office of the National Research Board presented His Majesty with the 1993 first prize award for his work in the category of inventions beneficial to the country. Furthermore, Europe's oldest organization of inventors, known as The Belgian Chamber of Inventors, organized the 49th Brussels Eureka 2000 in November 2000 at Brussels, the Kingdom of Belgium. In the Exhibition, the organizer announced the reasons for awarding several prizes to the Chaipattana Aerator before international researchers, inventors, and guests.
"The various prizes awarded today were issued not without thorough consideration. Inventions in every field must be applicable to widespread use and beneficial to the development of the quality of life and environment worldwide. Therefore the Chaipattana Aerator undoubtedly deserves the praise as the outstanding invention in this event."
The International Committee also honored His Majesty the King with the following statement.
"The King of Thailand is a developer king who possesses high diligence, ingenuity, and exceptional vision, in working arduously for the benefit of his subjects. He utilizes simple technology in his inventions which can be applied widely throughout the world."
The Thai Aerator's Debut in Belgium
As a result of the five prizes awarded to the Chaipattana Aerator in the 49th Brussels Eureka 2000, the Chairman of The Belgian Chamber of Inventors requested His Majesty's consideration for an aerator to be installed at Woluwe Saint-Pierre Park in Brussels. The Chairman hoped to honor His Majesty's ingenuity in creating an invention which functions by simple and cost-saving technology. The aerator is applicable to broad use, beneficial to the improvement of the quality of life and environment worldwide.
Woluwe Saint-Pierre Park is situated in a prominent district of Woluwe Saint-Pierre, the area where the Royal Thai Embassy is also located. It is situated at the intersection of two very important avenues, namely, the Tervueren Avenue and the Boulevard of the Sovereign. The Tervueren Avenue was built during the reign of King Leopold II, during 1865-1909. King Leopold II was called the "King-Builder" because of his work in expanding and reshaping the capital city of Belgium. Many avenues and parks were created during his reign. On Tervueren Avenue, one can also find several museums like the Fine Arts Museum, Museum of the Army, and Museum of the Automobile. As for the Boulevard of the Sovereign, the Castle of Val Duchesse and the Castle of Saint Anne are located here. Today the former has become the Government House of Belgium. One can observe the beauty along the avenue which was decorated by assorted types of trees and colorful flowers, together with several small ponds. Woluwe Saint-Pierre Park is therefore a popular place for the Belgians and tourists to come for a walk, to relax, or play sports regularly.
Behind the Scenes
After His Majesty the King graciously presented the Chaipattana Aerator to the Brussels- Capital Region's Government, the Chaipattana Foundation requested the Royal Irrigation Department to build the aerator as a special case by using stainless steel materials for durability purposes. Together with the aerator, information plates were also made to be installed by the pond. The plates were made of brass and designed to look like a paper which curls slightly at the top and bottom. The beam which held the plates is shaped as the Suphannahongse Royal Barge and is affixed with the Chaipattana Foundation's logo at the middle. The first complication was to translate the information into four languages, that is, Thai, English, French, and Flemish. After countless corrections, everyone let out a deep breath when the final draft of each language was approved.
With His Majesty the King's blessings, both the aerator and information plates were completed just in time for the packing and transfer to Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, who offered to deliver them to Belgium by cargo plane on March 17, 2003. But during the process, things were not smooth as silk for us, as Thai Airways International Public Company Limited's slogan. There was an issue about tax exemption which we had to expedite quickly before the arrival of the aerator in Belgium. Fortunately, we received full cooperation from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Belgian authorities in facilitating the matter of tax exemption. The aerator and equipment were delivered to Belgium in perfect condition and then transferred to the storage house at the Park's office.