The Relief
The meaning of His Majesty’s language such as “staying in the country” took some time before being understood by the palace officials that it does not mean “staying in the royal residence in Bangkok” but it means any place in this country where His Majesty can set foot in, no matter how remote. Songvit Keosri, in his article, “The Great King of Excellent Dharma Principles”, wrote that on Sept 13, 1954 at the age of 26 and in the 8th year of the reign, there was a fire with a devastating effect at Amphoe Ban Pong, a large and well-populated district in Rajburi Province. His Majesty decided to visit the place to see how bad the fire effected Ban Pong people. His Majesty took time to see the whole area ravaged by the fire and handed out a variety of relief items to fire victims. Most of the fire victims had lost all of their homes and personal belongings of every kind and become losers of all their homes and properties. But His Majesty’s care for the people who suffered disastrous effects of the fire seemed to be a great relief on their sufferings. It’s also an encouragement for them to get up and move on with their lives. His Majesty’s visit to Ban Pong District to conduct the public relief activity from the royal palace himself at that time was the first up-country trip in His Majesty’s Reign.