90 ปี 40 ปี Wat Thai Washington, D.C.

In order to raise funds, he initiated a variety
of activities and festivities including the first
Songkran festival which was held at the
Ambassador’s residence in April 1974. Monks
from the Thai temple in Los Angeles were invited
to perform the religious ceremony at this festival.
After Songkran the Association had raised a
total of US$3,744.33 in its treasury.
make merit. Later on that year, members of the
Assembly of Buddhists unanimously agreed to
rename to the Buddhist Association in Washington,
D.C.
The first president of the Association was
Colonel Pramoch Thavonchanta, the Military
Attache of the Royal Thai Embassy. The Ambassador
of Thailand to the U.S., His Excellency Sunthorn
Hongladarom, served as the first advisor to the
Association which consisted of other fourteen
members.
Upon the Ambassador’s return to Thailand,
his successor, His Excellency Anand Panyarachun,
assumed the role of advisor. The task of fund
raising for a new monks’ residence was begun.
The source of main income came from the donation
of the general public.
Late in 1973, after Colonel Thavonchanta
returned to Thailand, the Association invited Colonel
Vichian Buranasiri, the Education Counselor
of the Royal Thai Embassy, to be the president
in November. Colonel Buranasiri reorganized the
committee structure of the Association to facilitate
its growth and progress.
The First Monks’ Residence
Having sufficient funds, members of the Association
conceived the idea of first to establishing
a monks’ residence and second to invite at least
two monks from Thailand to perform religious
ceremonies in order to increase the involvement
and support of the Thai community in the area.
In the Education Counselor’s meeting room on
May 1, 1974 at 08:00 pm, the Association called
for an open meeting with 28 participants who
were government officials, students, and Thais of
different occupations in order to obtain their
opinions on this idea. Based on the comments and
suggestions from this meeting, the Association
agreed to use the funds in the treasury to carry
out the proposal. A committee was formed and
directed to find a rental place to be the new
temporary monks’ residence. The committee finally
found a house for rent at 705 Wayne Avenue,
Silver Spring, Maryland. The rental agreement was
one year and the monthly rent was US$350.00
Colonel Vichian Buranasiri, the president
of the Association, contacted Phra Maha Sobin
Sopago, the chief of monks at Wat Thai Los
Angeles, California requesting for monks. Phra
Maha Sobin then wrote a letter to Phra Dhamma
Kosajahn (Chob Anujaree) of Wat Mahathat
Yuwaratrangsarit, asking him to send monks
44 • ๙๐ ปี พระราชมงคลรังษี (หลวงตาชี)