In the year 2000, the Royel Thai Government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) commemorate 25 years of co-operation in Thailand.

The exhibition reflects Jitdrathanee's views toward the refugees. The ideas came to him after he visited the refugee's camps, Ban Pang-kawai camp and Ban-mai-nai-soy camp, Mae Hong Son Province, to seek for his paintings' inspiration. ( Wrote on October 9, 2000 )

The atmosphere of the opening ceremony. In the last 25 years, more than 1.3 million people fleeing conflict have found refuge in Thailand, Happily, most of those people have now returned to their own countries or found a permanent home elsewhere. But in their time of desperation, the compassion and generosity of the Thai people saved their lives.     To mark this anniversary, 29 talented Thai artists have donated their work to be shown in an exhibition, " Images: Refuge in Thailand " which will tour the country. Proceeds from the sale of the work will be used for the benefit of refugees.      Jitdrathanee is one of the Thai artists who had a chance to donate his painting to UNHCR. Jitdrathanee organized the art exhibition from 28 November 2000 - 7 January 2001 at Ban-chiang 2 gallery, Suan Pakkad Palace Museum, Sriayudhaya Road, Bangkok, Thailand. The opening ceremony was presided over by M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Deputy Foreign Minister on 27th November 2000.   Jitdrathanee's painting was exhibited in the exhibition. Title : The greatest love is the love of mankind

Unlike what I often imagined, the refugee camps I visited are not the places of the despair and desperate, but where the moist crude beauty of nature is revealed to the eyes of the first-time visitor like me.     In the embrace of the mountains, the camps bring to me a deep sense of nature. All residences there were simply made of natural materials in the crude forms. The places are also clean and peaceful.      I admitted an UNHCR and NGO (None-governmental organization) have provided a great care and warmth to the refugees there of which most the red Karens. The organizations have also given them education, sufficient public utilities, as well as vocational training programs to the Karen women. My biggest impression the innocent look of the children at the camps' schools. I think ones can immediately tell how naive they are from looking into their eyes. Their smiles came out straight from their hearts. They waved to us merrily as if they are not the victims of the unrest situation in Burma, which drove them and their families out to Thailand to seek refugee.      I hope some days they can go back to their hometown, ' Home', the short but meaningful word. I also wished them far from all harms and throes. I hope that all men will give love and sympathy to one another, like what I tried to show in my painting, namely The greatest love is the love of mankind.

 

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