THAI Launches ‘Miles for Merit 2009’
Preserving Wisdom Heritage of Humanity

THAI Launches ‘Miles for Merit 2009’

World Tipiṭaka Recitation

World Tipiṭaka Procession

The World Tipiṭaka in Roman Script

News Release
February 4th, 2009

THAI Launches ‘Miles for Merit 2009’
Preserving Wisdom Heritage of Humanity

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited introduces ‘Miles for Merit 2009’ a merit-making campaign for Royal Orchid Plus members. Through this campaign, Royal Orchid Plus members can donate miles to support ‘the World Tipiṭaka Presentation,’ a project graciously initiated by HRH the late Princess Galyani Vadhana, the World Tipiṭaka Patron.

Mr. Pandit Chanapai, THAI’s Executive Vice President for Commercial Department said that THAI first embarked upon the ‘Miles for Merit campaign’ in 2007. The campaign was a resounding success. Award tickets redeemed from donated miles brought 80 monks to Buddhist holy sites in India and Nepal, in honour of His Majesty the King’s auspicious 80th anniversary.

This year, donated miles through the ‘Miles for Merit 2009’ campaign will support transporting 40-volume set of the ‘World Tipiṭaka Edition in Roman Script,’ the world's first complete Great International Council Edition to leading international institutions worldwide. For the very first time, the ‘World Tipiṭaka Edition’ published by Dhamma Society, will be presented as a royal gift of wisdom and peace from Thailand to the world, fulfilling the late Princess Galyani Vadhana’s wish on this project. Tipiṭaka, written in Pāḷi language, contains 25-century old sacred texts of the Buddhist Theravāda heritage.

Khunying Saengduen na Nakorn, President of Princess Galyani Vadhana's Tipiṭaka Endowment Project, Ruamchit Norm Klao Foundation, said that since the inauguration of the project in 2005, many countries have requested the World Tipiṭaka from Thailand. The World Tipiṭaka has been presented to leading institutions in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Sweden, India, Netherlands, and Japan with priority given to institutions which, over a century ago, received the Siam-script Tipiṭaka from King Chulalongkorn Chulachomklao of Siam, Princess Galayani Vadhana's grandfather. Now published in Roman script, an internationally and universally recognised script, people all over the world will be able to recite and study the Tipiṭaka.

Thai Airways International Public Company is proud and grateful to take part in the ‘World Tipiṭaka Presentation’ project. The 2009 Tipiṭaka Presentation will include educational and research institutions in the United States such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC and top universities across the country, as well as institutions in no less than 32 countries worldwide which received the Siam-script edition over a century ago .

Royal Orchid Plus members are invited to support the ‘Miles for Merit 2009’ campaign. Donations of 1,000 miles or more can be made online at www.thaiairways.com/rop or by calling 0-2278-4022, until April 30, 2009.