On 8 December 2024 at 07:00 hrs, Khon Kaen University, led by Mrs. Natsamol Tanakulrungsarit, Vice President for Legal and Communications, representing the President, together with the Director of the Corporate Communications Division and university staff, joined the wreath-laying ceremony marking the Remembrance Day of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, the 11th Prime Minister of Thailand, who rendered distinguished service to Khon Kaen Province and the nation. The ceremony was presided over by Mr. Khajonkiat Rakpanichmanee, Governor of Khon Kaen Province, and attended by heads of government agencies, military and police officers, state enterprise representatives, executives of educational institutions, presidents of clubs and associations, business leaders, and members of the public at the Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat Monument in Ratchadanuson Park, Mueang District, Khon Kaen Province.
Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat was deeply aware of the poverty and underdevelopment faced by people in the north-eastern region. He applied modern academic principles to formulate an integrated national economic development plan that emphasised the efficient use of resources, forming the basis for Thailand’s contemporary development. Notably, the First National Economic and Social Development Plan was initially drafted in Khon Kaen Province.
During that period, foundations were laid for Khon Kaen to become a regional centre for economic, social, and educational development in the north-east. In 1962, under the leadership of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, the Cabinet resolved to establish a higher education institution in engineering and agriculture in Khon Kaen Province, initially proposed under the name “Khon Kaen Institute of Technology” (K.I.T.). The institution was later renamed “North-East University” (N.E.U.).
At that time, there was no dedicated governmental body responsible for university-level education. The Government therefore assigned the National Education Council to oversee site selection, curriculum development, and international cooperation. In 1965, the Cabinet resolved to rename North-East University as “Khon Kaen University”, after the city in which it is located, and transferred responsibility from the National Education Council to Khon Kaen University.
Regarding the biography of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, the 11th Prime Minister of Thailand, he was born on 16 June 1908 at Pak Khlong Talat in Pahurat Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon Province. He was granted the rank of second lieutenant on 16 November 1929 and, over the course of his military career, rose to hold the highest ranks of Field Marshal in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as serving as Director-General of the Police Department. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Thailand from 9 February 1959 until 8 December 1963, a total of 4 years and 10 months in office.
