Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT ON VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA BY HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS CHULABHORN MAHIDOL OF THAILAND
Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol of Thailand will be visiting South Africa during the period 5-16 February 1999. From 9-10 February Her Royal Highness will, at the invitation of President Mandela, be the guest of the South African Government.
In addition the Princess will also be a keynote speaker at the Second General Assembly and International conference of the Third World Organisation for Women in Science which will be held in Cape Town from 8-11 February 1999.
She will deliver an address entitled "Science and Human Development : The role of Women" in keeping with the theme of the conference which is "Women, Science and Technology fr sustainable human development".
The visit by Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol is the highest level visit to date from Thailand and follows upon the visit to Thailand by President Mandela in 1997.
It is in her capacity as an eminent scholar and current Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Mahidol University , Bangkok as well as President of the Chulabhorn Institute and Founder and President of the Chulabhorn Research Institute in Bangkok that Her Royal Highness has been invited to participate in the International Conference of the Third World Organisation for Women in Science.
Princess Chulabhorn will be hosted during the official part of her visit i.e 9 and 10 February by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.
Her Royal Highness has also indicated her wish to use her visit to South Africa to foster academic cooperation between the Chulabhorn Research Institute and the University of Cape Town as well as other South African institutions.
Following upon her visit to Cape Town Her Royal Highness will also undertake a private visit to Gauteng which has been arranged by the Royal Thai Embassy prior to returning to Thailand.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA 4 FEBRUARY 1999