Royal gift

Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visits for a regal dedication

By Gene Park
gpark@starbulletin.com

A 5-year-old who had been orphaned in Thailand got a chance to meet a princess for the second time yesterday.

Trina Suwida Kiyan, who was adopted by the Sugita family in Hawaii, first met Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn when Trina was a few months old in Thailand.

The princess, who is known for her charitable works, held Trina in her arms.

Yesterday, Maha dedicated a reconstructed royal Thai sala at the East-West Center and Trina was there to greet the princess.

Trina brought a picture of herself as an infant, cradled by the princess and surrounded by Red Cross workers, which the princess autographed.

"It was a real honor to meet her," said Trina's adopted grandfather, Toshi Sugita. "Especially for her, so she can keep up the Thai tradition."

Yesterday's ceremony was marked by performances by the royal Thai dancers and musicians and a hula halau. There was also an oli, or chant, in Hawaiian composed for the occasion.

During the dedication ceremony, Maha said the sala, a pavilion where people can gather and rest, is a symbol of "universal friendship and brotherhood."

The princess also announced the establishment of the Royal Sala Thai Scholarship. So far, $185,000 has been raised to help Thai students come to Hawaii to study at the East-West Center.

More than 3,200 Thai scholars, students and professionals have participated in programs at the center since 1960.

The sala was originally given to the East-West Center by Maha's father, King Bhumibol Adulyadei, and is one of only four royal salas outside of Thailand.

Fund committee co-chairwoman Nopamat Veohong, now a professor in Thailand, studied at the East-West Center in the 1970s, and remembers resting at the old pavilion.

"It is marvelous," she said of the new pavilion. "We used to gather at the old pavilion, but it had gotten really old over 40 years."

Bill Feltz, arts program coordinator at the center, said the old pavilion was taken apart, and some of the more elaborate pieces of its architecture are preserved as display pieces.

Several hundred people, including members of Hawaii's Thai community, attended the ceremony. Some dropped to their knees as the princess passed.