CHARGE, a popular fitness tracker from Fitbit, is now better, with the third in the series, Fitbit Charge 3, showing several improvements.

The new design makes the fitness tracker lighter and thus more comfortable to wear. It’s now waterproof to 50 metres, so you can use it while diving.

Also added is Fitbit Pay for use with a credit card and a crisp touch-screen display that’s larger and brighter than its predecessor, offering a more intuitive experience with easy access to your most important information.

The touch button comes in an “induction” design so it fits seamlessly.

Another improvement is that it can now display alerts from your phone and can use some apps that run on Fitbit smartwatches. And its battery is longer lasting, allowing you to use the gadget for up to seven days on one charge.

All these improvements make Charge 3 highly recommended for Charge fans and those seeking a good fitness tracker to stay fit and healthy.

Fitbit said initial pre-order sales indicated strong adoption among both new and existing consumers. It said 54 per cent of Fitbit.com pre-orders are from loyal and engaged customers who owned two or more devices before ordering Charge 3.

This initial consumer demand is supported by IDC estimates, which predict shipments of fitness trackers will continue to drive a significant portion of the overall wearables category for the next several years.

The Charge 3 is crafted from lightweight materials, including an aerospace-grade aluminium case and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display for a slimmer, modern silhouette, increased durability and more comfortable fit.

The Charge 3 is 0.83 inch wide and 1.41 inches long. The display is 1.57 inches diagonally. It has two strap-band sizes to choose from – the small band is for a 140-180mm wrist and the larger for a 180-220mm wrist. Both are easily swapped with the press of a button.

During the test, I found that Charge 3 was really comfort to wear, especially for tracking sleep.

The large back-lit display is easy to read. The display automatically adjusts to lighting conditions. You can also change the brightness of the screen by choosing from dim, normal and auto brightness.

Charge 3 is easy to use. You can swipe up from clock face to access the on-device dashboard and swipe down to access smart notifications. You can also swipe left from clock face to access on device apps. The inductive button on the left side is used to return to the previous screen by quickly pressing it.

To start using Charge 3, you need to register an account with Fitbit.com to use its cloud storage to record and track your fitness statistics and of course the heart rate info that may be handy one day if your doctor needs it in case of irregular beat detected. The cloud service also sends email to sum up your status and progress on a weekly basis.

The stats recorded by Charge 3 will be synced to your account through Fitbit app installed on your smartphone.

The Charge 3 uses enhanced 24/7 PurePulse heart-rate technology that delivers greater accuracy than Charge 2 during popular exercise activities such as running, jogging, spinning and interval training, plus a better measure of calorie burn and resting heart rate to help you optimise workouts and uncover health trends.

It monitors your heart rate all day and all night to record and reveal your resting heart rate trends over time and follow your progress.

As a fitness tracker, Charge 3 tracks activities like steps, distance, floors climbed, active minutes and calories burned to show how every part of your day impacts your goals.

For me, it recorded more than 13,000 steps in one day, translating into about 9.4 kilometres. And it’s good that Charge 3 also counts floors climbed. It reported that on that day I climbed 18 floors.

Fitbit Charge 3 also automatically recognises exercises like runs, swims, elliptical, sports and more and records them for you in the Fitbit app. It automatically records exercise lasting 15 minutes. You can customise the automatic recognition with the Fitbit app.

After Charge 3 is connected to your phone, the tracker can use the phone’s GPS to give accurate real-time pace and distance for outdoor runs and bicycle riding. I tested this feature for a short five-kilometre walk by using the “Run” sport on Charge 3 and it worked fine.

Charge 3 also has Female Health Tracking function that comes up automatically when you register your account as a woman. It lets women track menstrual periods, record symptoms and see a predicted ovulation calendar.

If you love to swim, you’ll be happy that Charge 3 can now track that too. You need first to set your pool length. Charge 3 lets you see real-time duration in the water on your wrist. You can later sync to the Fitbit app to see laps, distance and pace.

The Swim mode is one of six exercise modes available on Charge 3 at the default setting. Other modes are Run, Bike, Treadmill, Weights an Interval Workout. Actually, there are over 15 modes to choose from.

You need to use Fitbit app on your phone to change the exercise modes on Charge 3. You must first remove some pre-installed ones and select new ones. Other modes include Golf, Tennis, Yoga, Hike, Kickboxing, Circuit Training, Martial Arts, Stairclimber, Spinning and Walk.

A nice feature of Charge 3 is that it lets you stay connected with smart notifications from your phone for calls, texts and calendar alerts. You can also choose which of your favourite apps you want to receive notifications on your wrist.

The Charge 3 comes preinstalled with three phone apps – Alarms, Weather and Timers. Fitbit says a Calendar app will be released soon.

The Charge 3 has Fitbit Pay that lets you record your credit card data, like the card number, expiry date, name and security code. You can then pay at shops that accept contactless NFC payments. Fitbit says Fitbit Pay is supported by Kasikorn Bank, KTC and Siam Commercial Bank in Thailand.

There are two versions of Charge 3 – normal and special edition – and both are available in a graphite aluminium case or blue grey with a rose-gold aluminium case.

In some countries, Fitbit Pay is available only on the special edition, but in Thailand, Fitbit Pay is available for both normal and special editions.

I got to test the special edition, which also has an additional Black Classic Band apart from a Frost White Sport band for the graphite body and a Lavender Woven ban for Rose Gold body, while the normal edition provides only Classic Band in two sizes, small and large.

Fitbit Charge 3 normal edition retails for Bt6,490 and special editor for Bt6,990. Accessories range from Bt990 to Bt1,890. Charge 3 is available at retail partner stores, including B2S, Life, King Power, Powerbuy, VMart and Lazada.

>> Dimensions: 0.89x.141 inch

>> Band sizes: Small, 5.5-7.1 inch, large, 7.1-8.7 inch

>> Sensors & Components: |3-axis accelerometer, Optical heart rate monitor, Altimeter, Vibration motor, Relative SpO2 sensor, NFC

>> Display: 1.57-inch |touch-screen greyscale OLED

>> Memory: Saves seven days of detailed motion data minute by minute; saves daily totals for past 30 days

>> Water Resistance: To 50 meters.

>> Radio transceiver: Bluetooth 4.0

>> Battery: Lithium-polymer, two-hour charge time, up to seven days. Battery life and charge cycles vary with use, settings and other factors

THE END of the pager era is nigh in Japan after five decades, with the country’s last provider announced on Monday it would be scrapping its service next year.

Tokyo Telemessage, the only pager service provider left standing, said it had decided to terminate its service to Tokyo and three neighbouring regions in September 2019 – describing the development as “very regrettable”.

“Pagers were once a huge hit… but the number of users is now down to 1,500,” the company said in a statement, adding it had stopped manufacturing the hardware device 20 years ago.

Pagers – known as “poke-beru” (pocket bell) in Japan – became very popular in the 1990s especially among high school girls obsessed by their primitive text messaging functions.

At break time, long queues of high school girls would form outside public phones as they frantically punched in numbers which were then converted into short messages to classmates and boyfriends.

A 1998 file photo shows a Nippon Iridium employee displaying a pager of Iridium satellites telephone service, made by Japan’s electronics giant Kyocera at the company’s head office in Tokyo. /AFP

At the 1996 peak for the technology, the number of users reached more than 10 million, according to government data.

But mobile phones quickly consigned pagers to the technology dustbin.

Major telecoms company NTT, which introduced pagers back in 1968, stopped its service in 2007.

Visitors to Japan are often surprised at the contrasting use of technology in Japan.

On the one hand, Japan is a land of high-tech and futuristic gadgets but can also sometimes be bizarrely old school – for example, faxes are still routinely used as a method of communication.

When the last North Korean missile flew over Japan, one of the more surreal moments was TV footage showing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe learning about the emergency – on his flip-phone.

And the Japanese minister in charge of cyber security recently made international headlines when he admitted that he delegated computer work to others.

Yoshitaka Sakurada, 68, who is also in charge of the 2020 Olympics, also appeared confused by the concept of a USB drive.

“THAI will increase its flight frequency on the route between Bangkok and Sapporo from 7 to 10 flights per week, effective immediately. THAI flights have become more and more popular among Japanese passengers travelling to Thailand and therefore resulted in a steady increase in demand for air travel between Thailand and Japan,” says Wiwat Piyawiroj, THAI Executive Vice President, Commercial.

THAI carries a large number of Thai passengers on their way to Sapporo, especially during the winter season. For added passenger comfort and convenience, THAI is offering two Royal Orchid Holidays package tours to Hokkaido: a 3-day 2-night Hokkaido Winter Break package for travel now until March 31, with prices starting at Bt18,700 per person (inclusive of roundtrip air ticket in Economy Class, hotel accommodation, and breakfast, as well as free JR train tickets if the hotel specified in the program is selected) and a 5-day 4-night Hokkaido Snow Forever Fun package with prices starting at Bt36,300  per person (inclusive of roundtrip air ticket in Economy Class, JR train tickets from Sapporo to the airport, ground transportation from the airport to the ski resort, and breakfast), as well as 1,200 complimentary Royal Orchid Plus miles.

For more information on the tour packages, call (02) 356 2888.

Christoph Bullen, parent company Siam Piwat’s head of visual communication and design, took as his inspiration the Northern Lights, recreating the Aurora Borealis’ nightly dances across the sky in glimmering navy blue, green and violet.

The art installations across OneSiam assume marvellous crystalline shapes and glitter like an Arctic glacier, with Santa’s elves along for the ride.

Each of the three malls has a Christmas tree that suits its character. At Siam Paragon is a 15-metre-tall Crystal Tree radiating colourful light to illuminate the Crystal Walk out front, with its own tunnel of lights.

The tree at Siam Center is a construction of triangular prisms forming the shape of a pyramid. It was inspired by the kinetic, futuristic installations of Pantone, whose works are currently on display at the mall. There’s also an Elf Forest and Elf Village.

Siam Discovery has the Circular Living Recycled Christmas Tree to promote environmental conscientiousness. It’s made of reused materials, including thousands of CD cases, and stands 10 metres high. Visitors are welcome to decorate it with their own recyclable materials.

From December 24 to 31, performers from Europe will be entertaining shoppers.

Theatre Tol from Belgium combines popular seasonal tales with bicycle stunts. The Romantic Carillion from Italy works magic on the piano as ballerinas dance. And Teatro Pavana from the Netherlands, its members clad in red silk, will present “Danzanti”, elegant yet rapid dance moves to upbeat music.

Singers Popetorn Soonthornyanakij, Jetrin Wattanasin and Burin Boonvisut will be at Park Paragon on December 31 to lead the New Year countdown.

Saturday will be of particular interest to manga fans as it brings three Japanese manga artists in for book signings. Kouzuki Rin of “Kokuyou no Sheikh wa Ai o Sasayaku” will be on hand from 11 to noon; Miyoshi Naohito with “Yu-Gi-Oh” from 1 to 2.10pm; and Verginia Nitouhei with “Isekai Izakaya Nobu” from 3 to 4pm.

Get your tome signed by showing a payment receipt of more than Bt400. Find out more by calling (02) 255 9834.

Dancing in the dark

“Exodus: the 13th International Butoh Festival Thailand 2018” rounds out the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre’s “Performative Arts Festival” with performances and workshops continuing through December 15.

Japan’s Fujieda Mushimaru leads the “Natural Physical Poetry” workshop on Saturday and Sunday at Room 401 while Ledoh facilitates a second intensive workshop at the studio on the same floor on December 15.

Mushimaru performs butoh from tomorrow to Sunday and Store House Company takes its turn on the stage on December 14 and 15,

For more information or reservations, call (094) 494 5104, or email: bkkbutoh@gmail.com.

The way we were

Aphisit Sidsunthia examines the aftertaste of sensual perception in the aptly named solo show “Aftertaste” on display at the People’s Gallery of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre until December 27.

The centre is open daily except Monday from 10am to 9pm. For more information, call (02) 214 6630.

Down on the farm

Jim Thompson Farm in Nakhon Ratchasima kicks off its popular farm tour on Saturday and invites Thais and tourists to get out of Bangkok and see where the brand grows its vegetables, and weaves its silk and cotton products. Tour the vegetable and flower plantations, witness the multiple stages of silk production and learn more about the fascinating cultures and traditions of the Isaan region.

The event runs through January 6 and is open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Tickets cost from Bt90 to Bt150 at Thai Ticket Major. Call (02) 262 3456 or visit http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

Let’s talk news

Nation TV 22 brings its “Fan Day” back to life with an event at Halls 201-203 of Bitec Bangna on December 16 at 12.30pm.

The upcoming event features seminars by established anchormen Kanok Ratwongsakul, Teera Tanyapaibul and Sonthiyan Chuenruthainaitham and mini concerts by Hope Family, Chompoo Fruity and Suthep Prayoonpithak.

Tickets cost from Bt1,000 to Bt2,000 at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

The coolest place to pedal in Bangkok, the newly renamed “Happy and Healthy” bike track around Suvarnabhumi Airport is aiming to be the first of its kind in the world.

An inflatable Sky Wing made of recycled PET bottles offers a shady area under which to relax.

First opened in March 2014, the 23.5-kilometre two-lane cycle track was created by Airports of Thailand as part of its corporate social responsibility programme. Costing Bt28.5 million, it was developed from an earthen barrier around the airport perimeter bordering an irrigation canal into an all-weather slip-resistant track, paved with rubberised asphalt concrete. Back then it was called the “Green Bike Lane” and was named one of the world’s best airport bike paths by CNN.

There are several bike tees and racks around the food and beverage zone.

Closed for six months late the following year, it reopened at the beginning of 2016 with a new name – the Sky Lane – and was more biker-friendly than ever with a 1.2-kilometre loop for joggers and kids learning to ride as well as new rest areas, restrooms and snack stalls. Now run in partnership with Siam Commercial Bank, it was also more technological with “Snap Bands” embedded with GPS and radio-frequency identification technology showing cyclists’ location for added security in case of accident.

“Our aim was to make the bike lane the best in Thailand, a place where cyclists can ride happily, healthily and safely while making new friends,” says Prasong Poontaneat, chairman of the Board of Directors of AOT.

In March, the track was once again given a new name – “Charoensuk Mongkholsuk” or “Happy and Healthy” – this one graciously bestowed by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who attended the official inauguration on November 23 and led a bike procession.

A jogging track runs parallel with the 1.6-kilometre bike lane.

“‘Happy and Healthy’ is the motto of this bike lane that makes everyone physically and mentally stronger,” says Prichaya Pibulsonggram, project manager of the bike lane and division head of Bike.SCB. “This bike lane isn’t only a place for cyclists to exercise but also serves as an area for children and adults from all walks of life to get together.”

The Sky Bridge is designed to resemble a bird’s nest.

Today the 23.5km bike lane incorporates the best of world-class standards, with a blue lane for general bikers and a purple lane for more experienced cyclists with signs every 250 metres along its entire length. The 1.6km bike lane also features a parallel running track of the same distance and a bike lane for children. In addition, the project is well-equipped with facilities, comprising a parking space with security system, a 1.2km Sky Bridge linking the car park and bike lane, an emergency medical centre, shops selling and renting bicycles, bicycle equipment and accessories, and food and drink to accommodate both cyclists and members of the public. Further space for 3,500 cars is available at AOT near the bridge.

The health station is run by Samitivej Hospital.

“This newly refurbished bike lane is really unique It features three rest areas and the planes taking off and landing nearby add to the atmosphere,” says Prichaya. “The technology we use makes everything much more convenient for the cyclists, such as the free blue snap used for identification as they come and go to the bike lane and for use as prepaid card used for food court and bicycle shops. Moreover, we have a Snap application that can be downloaded at the app store or from Google Play and a QR code for buying goods and services electronically. It is also environmentally friendly with solar-powered lights on the bike lane and plenty of garbage bins, so no one has an excuse to litter.”

Kids have fun at the pump track.

“The solar-powered LED lighting allows cyclists to ride at night. And the bike lane also boasts the Sky Bridge, which is designed like a bird nest with a beautiful spiral, and an inflatable Sky Wing, which is made of recycled PET bottles. There are 60 bike tees that can hold five bicycles each as well as bike racks,” he adds.

Children are not forgotten, with a special Kid’s Track near the parking lot that has both a 1.2-kilometre track and a pump track for BMX, mountain bike and timber trail with several terrains. There are 30 bicycles, all free of charge, for the kids and a place for parents to watch. The facilities are for children aged 12 and under.

A bike rental shop offers 30 hybrid bicycles and will soon increase its stock of mountain bikes and road bikes. The rental fee is Bt400 for half a day.

“Our staff are on hand to find the bicycle for you together with helmet and lights as well a water bottle,” says Prichaya. “The Sky Wing is used both for special activities and for exercise in the evening, when it’s lit in rotating colours of purple, green and pink.”

“I exercise regularly, usually by running and cycling. A good bike lane really encourages me to go exercise. This place is designed for real cyclists and there are many zones. I like the family zone where families can come and spend their free time together,” commented Artiwara “Toon Bodyslam’ during the press tour.

“We think this bike lane can be better developed and become the No 1 facility of its kind in the world, not just in Thailand. Nowhere else can you find a cycling course of its length so close to the heart of a major city, and with such a safe and comfortable cycling environment. And the development this time will make it bigger and better than ever,” says Dr Vichit Suraphongchai, SCB’s chairman, adding that Prichaya is planning to build a mountain track and a pump track for adults in the near future.

Pedal to the metal

– The “Happy and Healthy cycle track at Suvarnabhumi Airport is open daily from 6am to 8pm.

– Admission is free.

– Find at more at Facebook.com/skylanethailand/ or http://www.Bike.SCB.

In 2018, Apple Books launched as a brand new app, making it effortless for iPhone and iPad users to discover and enjoy books and audiobooks. This year Apple Books celebrates works from a diverse group of authors, including Tommy Orange’s debut There There; Tayari Jones’s American Marriage that is both the Book and Audiobook of the Year; and Rachel Hollis’s Girl, Wash Your Face. Politics dominated the U.S. charts this year with Fire and Fury, Fear and A Higher Loyalty all appearing in the top 10 best-selling nonfiction books. On the fiction front, readers remain rabid for books adapted for the screen, including Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asiansand Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects.

Book of the Year: American Marriage

Best Nonfiction: The Library Book

Best Mystery: The Witch Elm

Best Thriller: Light It Up

Best Bio/Memoir: Educated

Best Romance: Too Wilde to Wed

Best Science Fiction/Fantasy: Spinning Silver

Best Feel-Good Fiction: When Life Gives You Lululemons

Best Literary Fiction: There There

Best Young Reader Book: Harbor Me

Best Audiobooks of the Year

Audiobook of the Year: American Marriage

Best Nonfiction: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Best Mystery: Something in the Water

Best Thriller: Long Road to Mercy

Best Bio/Memoir: Becoming

Best Business Audiobook: Dare to Lead

Best Health, Mind, Body: Girl, Wash Your Face

Best Family Audiobook: Rebound

Best Humor: Calypso

Best Historical Fiction: The Great Alone

2018 Apple Books Charts

This year, investigative reporting underpinned the immersive storytelling of shows such as American Public Media’s In the Dark, The New York Times’s“Caliphate,” along with historical deep dives like Slate’s “Slow Burn.” News and Politics grew as podcast genres in 2018 with The New York Times’s“The Daily” and Crooked Media’s “The Wilderness,” while celebrities and a healthy mix of independents topped this year’s new shows, including Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert,” “Oprah’s Master Class” and Parcast Network’s “Conspiracy Theories” and “Unexplained Mysteries.”

Best Podcasts of the Year

In The Dark

Caliphate

The Dream

Everything is Alive

Slow Burn

Dr. Death

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Bubble

Bundyville

A Very Fatal Murder

Wolverine: The Long Night

Serial

The Daily

This American Life

99% Invisible

Charts

Top 25 Most Downloaded Podcasts of the Year

Top 25 Most Downloaded New Podcasts of the Year

This year, Battle Royale-style games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile dominated global gaming culture with exciting, last-player-standing action, while innovative apps like Fabulous, Shine, 10% Happier and Headspace expanded the practice of wellness around the world to make self-care more accessible than ever before.

Best Apps of the Year

App Trend of the Year – Self-care

Game Trend of the Year – Battle Royale-style gaming

iPhone App of the Year – Procreate Pocket

iPhone Game of the Year – Donut County

iPad App of the Year – Froggipedia

iPad Game of the Year – Gorogoa

Mac App of the Year – Pixelmator Pro

Mac Game of the Year – The Gardens Between

Apple TV App of the Year – Sweat

Apple TV Game of the Year – Alto’s Odyssey

Favorite Watch Apps of the Year

Charts

iPhone users running iOS 11 and later will view iPhone charts below; iPad users running iOS 11 and later will view iPad charts.

Top Apps Charts

Top Games Charts

N EXACTLY one year’s time – Father’s Day 2019 – the last Royal project initiated by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej will officially throw open its doors. The finishing touches are being put to the Navamindrabopitr 84th Anniversary Building at Siriraj Hospital but funds are still needed to fit out the building with medical equipment, which is likely to cost between Bt1.8 billion and Bt2 billion.

For the past 130 years, Siriraj Hospital has been ensuring Thais of all income groups get the treatment they need while also producing high quality doctors and nurses. The construction of Navamindrabopitr 84th Anniversary Building reflects the late monarch’s vision to ease the overcrowding and responds to his wish to help underprivileged patients at Siriraj Hospital.

The new high-rise building features 25 floors, one mezzanine, and two basements. It replaces three 50-year-old buildings and covers an area of 67,551 square meters.

At the recent press conference to launch the “Saving for Giving Year 2” campaign, Professor Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean of the Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, told the assembled media that 80 per cent of the construction of the Navamindrabopitr 84th Anniversary Building was now complete.

“The overall structure is finished. Right now, the focus is on the decoration and interior design as well as the most complicated part of the building, the basement levels, which will house the machines for radiation therapy and the cooling system. These must be properly installed. We intend the new building to commence operations in March as we run tests on different functions. However, we have already set the official opening date for December 5, 2019 in remembrance the tireless works of King Rama IX to improve the lives of his people. The new building is expected to receive 20,000 inpatients and 500,000 outpatients per year,” he explains.

The name “Navamindrabopitr 84th Anniversary Building” was graciously bestowed by the late King Bhumibhol, meaning a building to celebrate the Great King Rama IX on the occasion of his 84th birthday anniversary.

Its medical services are divided primarily into three sections: out-patient service, in-patient service, an operation lab and special examination rooms. Once finished, the building will have 376 in-patient beds, 62 ICU rooms, and 14 specialist centres dedicated to Cardiology, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Diagnostic Radiology, Spinal, Nuclear Medicine and Pulmonary Function. There will be no VIP room.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the chairperson of the project’s fund-raising committee. The construction cost of the building is estimated at Bt5 billion, with the government providing Bt2 billion on February 12, 2013.

“At that time, we were worried how we would be able to raise so much money for this project but we strongly believe in the |generosity of the Thai |people who see the benefits and follow the late King’s wishes. |We are grateful to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun and the royal family. And we are also grateful to Athiwara ‘Toon Bodyslam’ Kongmalai, our business partners, namely all the banks, and most importantly to the public, who have willingly participated in charity projects to raise money for the hospital,” he adds.

The hospital was established in 1888 by His Majesty King Chulalongkorn and named after the king’s 18-month-old son, Prince Siriraj Kakudhabhand, who died from dysentery a year before the facility opened. King Chulalongkorn himself performed the official opening ceremony on April 26, 1888.

Thailand’s first medical school, called Bhatayakorn School was opened in 1889 and was renamed Bhatayalai in 1900 by King Vajiravudh. This marked the beginning of modern medicine in Thailand. Modern medical services and medical education were also later offered.

A significant change in the Thai medical sector came about at the hands of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, who is known as the “Father of Modern Thai Medicine”.

Prince Mahidol was made aware of the dire need for improvement in the standards of medical and public health education in Thailand, particularly the conditions of medical practice, which lagged far behind Western standards, by Prince Rangsit, the then Chief of the Royal Medical College.

“He invited Prince Mahidol to take a boat trip along the Bangkok Yai and Bangkok Noi canals. His office, Siriraj Hospital, was on the route, and he invited his half-brother to stop and have a look around. The Prince reacted to the poor state of the hospital much as Prince Rangsit had expected, coming quickly to the conclusion that good education in basic sciences and a well-maintained public health service were essential to the development of human resources of the country.

In 1916 after being promoted to the rank of Captain (Royal Guard), Prince Mahidol resigned from the Royal Thai Navy to pursue his convictions, heading to the US to study public health at Harvard University.

In 1943, the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital was separated from Chulalongkorn University and reorganised with other faculties to become the University of Medical Science.

In 1969, His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej decided the time had come to upgrade the medical college with more comprehensive coverage and therefore established a new university, naming it Mahidol after his father, the Prince of Songkla.

Siriraj Hospital was the residence of the late King from September 2009 to August 2013. He entered the hospital for treatment of a respiratory condition. In October the following year, he had gall bladder surgery at Siriraj and it was there that he passed away on October 13, 2016.

“We set the official opening date for December 5, the day His Majesty King Bhumibol was born because our aim is that in 30 or 40 years, the future generations will learn and be appreciative to His Majesty’s great effort and dedication. The interior designs and decoration on every floor and in every corner will feature the late King’s quotes and teachings on different subjects ranging from social, culture, economic, education, environment, health, and so on. There will be sculptures by national artists. As for equipment, we intend to have three new radiation therapy machines, plus two old ones. Normally, it takes up to six months for cancer patients to get the treatment and sometimes they have to go to another province. The medical services available at the Navamindrabopitr 84th Anniversary Building will greatly improve the situation,” Prasit said.

Clinical Professor Pradit Panchavinnin, director of Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital, which caters to high-income patients, adds that the first year of Saving for Giving campaign was very well received. “More than 139,000 people participated in the campaign and we raised Bt111 million. This year we have produced 300,000 moneyboxes in the same designs as last year inspired the late King’s camera, a walkie-talkie radio communication device, and a jeep. The campaign will run for 45 days until January and we hope donors will set aside Bt10 per day so that each moneybox will contain Bt450. Our aim is to raise up to Bt135 million from the campaign. However, the souvenir is simply the symbol. Even if one cannot donate money, the key message here is that everyone can have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the much-beloved monarch in developing good habits of saving and giving,” says Pradit.

– Various channels for making donations are available.

– On the net through http://www.si.mahidol.ac.th/Th/navamin84/donate or http://www.savingforgiving.com

– Through the banks to the account of Siriraj Foundation for Navamindrabopitr 84th Anniversary Building.

– Find out more by calling (02) 4197646 and |(02) 419 7656