On 24 July 2013, Mr. Chakarin Chayabongse, Director General of the Protocol Department, and Mr. Banjong Sookdee, Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, led ambassadors and representatives of 11 foreign diplomatic missions to Thailand – namely Australia, Bahrain, Columbia, the Holy See, Israel, Kenya, Luxemburg, Order of Malta, Peru, Qatar and Timor Leste – in planting saplings at the international botanical garden within Banjakiti Park, Bangkok, to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 81st  Birthday Anniversary on 12 August 2013. The activity was organized to honour Her Majesty’s work on the environment and reforestation.

The planting is a continuation of a similar event held in 2004 to celebrate Her Majesty’s 72nd Birthday Anniversary. On that occasion, a number of embassies presented five sculptures to the Park as symbolic representations of their nations. On 9 December that year, Her Majesty officially graciously presided over the opening ceremony of Benjakiti Park and planted a “Wrightia Sirikitiae D.J. Woddleton Santisuk”, a rare genus found only in Thailand.

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24 July 2013