On 27 April 2026, Her Excellency Ms. Lada Phumas, Ambassador of Thailand to Malasia, was invited to preside over the Opening Ceremony of the Small Scale Chemistry Workshop under the 2026 BBL - CST Small Scale Chemistry Training for Secondary School Teachers in Malaysia Programme, organised by the Chemical Society of Thailand under the Patronage of Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangkavadhana, with the support of Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited, at the Faculty of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan Campus in Pahang. The Ambassador was warmly welcomed by Professor Kamaruzzaman Yunus, Dean of the Faculty of Science, IIUM Kuantan Campus; Professor Dr. Vudhichai Parasuk, President of the Chemical Society of Thailand; Professor Dr. Supawan Tantayanon, Director of the Programme; Associate Professor Dr. Saiful ’Arifin Shafiee, President of the Institut Kimia Malaysia (IKM) - Pahang Branch; Mr. Surayud Kanchanabhogin, Deputy CEO of Bangkok Bank Berhad; and Mr. Mohammad Dzulkhairy bin Abdul Rahman, representative of the Ministry of Education of Malaysia. The Workshop was well-attended by more than 100 secondary school chemistry teachers from 45 schools across the eastern region of Malaysia.

 

In her opening remarks, the Ambassador highlighted that the Workshop, now in its second consecutive year in Malaysia, reflects both the success of the initiative and the shared commitment of Thailand and Malaysia to strengthening cooperation in science, education, and technology, particularly in the STEM fields, as well as advancing technological progress and sustainable development in both countries and across the ASEAN region. The Ambassador also reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to implementing policy and strategy on Science, Research and Innovation (SRI) Diplomacy, aimed at enhancing national competitiveness, building trust, and reinforcing Thailand’s role in fostering international cooperation and supporting other countries.

 

The Workshop in Malaysia is a three-year-programme whereby the first session was held on 9 - 10 April 2025 at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia - UKM, while the current session takes place on 27 - 28 April 2026. The Programme aims to equip secondary school chemistry teachers with knowledge and practical skills in Small Scale Chemistry techniques, emphasising experiments that use minimal equipment and chemicals, are cost-effective, safe, time-efficient, and environmentally friendly. Since 2017, the Chemical Society of Thailand has conducted similar Workshops in ASEAN countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Viet Nam, as well as in South Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.