On 9 May 2007, General Prem Tinsulanonda, President of the Privy Council and Statesman, presided over the public announcement of the Prem Tinsulanonda Fellowship Program which was created at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of the Johns Hopkins University. This Fellowship Program is jointly contributed by major private sectors of Thailand (the Bangkok Bank, the CP Group, Siam Cement and the TCC Group) and the US side.

The announcement was held at the Plaza Athenee Hotel with the participation of the prominent figures such as Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Education, US Ambassador to Thailand and leading businessmen.

The initiative for the Prem Tisulanonda Fellowship came in 2002 as SAIS celebrated in Bangkok the 10th anniversary of its Southeast Asia Studies.  At that time, SAIS asked General Prem for his blessings and support in establishing a permanent endowment for Thai Studies at the university. General Prem also succeeded in strengthening Thailand’s international stature, considerably improving the economic and social livelihood of the people.
 
The Prem Tisulanonda Fellowship marks the first time that a permanent fellowship fund dedicated to Thai studies is established in the United States. Today’s announcement is the completion of the initial US$1 million of a planned $2 million endowment which would be granted to the Thai students annually.  

The main objectives of the Prem Tinsulanonda Fellowship program at SAIS are to provide funding and scholarships to Thai students and scholars seeking to further their studies at SAIS. The program will also support the teaching of the Thai language at the Johns Hopkins University, facilitate SAIS students’ summer internships in Thailand and support conferences highlighting the importance of Thailand-U.S. relations. In a broader term, the Fellowship would contribute to sustain and enhance long-term relationship between the two nations.

The first two Prem Tinsulanonda Fellows will enroll as graduate students in the Southeast Asia Studies Program at SAIS in September 2007.  The Fellows are Pavis Devahasadin na Ayudhaya, a graduate of Chulalongkorn University in International Relations, and Pongsiri Voraphongse, graduate of Thammasat University in Economics and now works at the Bank of Thailand.