Mahidol Day is tomorrow, September 24th-All government offices, including Immigration, will be closed

Tomorrow, September 24th, 2021, is Mahidol Day in Thailand.

As a result, all government offices, notably including Immigration, will be closed for the day. It is NOT a dry day, however, so sales of alcohol are allowed. (Although, unfortunately, bars are still legally closed nationwide in Pattaya and Thailand, so only purchasing at a store and bringing home is allowed.)

What is Mahidol Day?

The day commemorates the passing of Prince Father Mahidol Adulyadej, the “Father of Thai Modern Medicine”. He was the father of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) and The Great King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) of Thailand, and the paternal grandfather of the current King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X).

The Ministry of Health normally organizes special activities and medical professionals and doctors normally mark the day with special events. Many people also partake in special days of service to assist the community in memory of his contributions. However, due to the current Covid-19 situation in Thailand, it is likely any events are majorly scaled-down or moved online. Regardless, the day will be considered as important to many Thais, especially those in the medical profession, due to his contributions to the field.

While Thailand’s medical staff continue to fight Covid-19, the day will likely be considered doubly important by many in the health profession this year.

Have a safe and happy-and healthy-Mahidol Day from Pattaya Unplugged, the links above can provide more references about him and his life from Wikipedia. Photo credit Wikipedia.