The Museum of Philately is delighted to showcase two of Dr Prakob Chirakiti’s collections Siam: Classic The First Issue and Siam: The Early Years.
Dr Prakob Chirakiti (1953), is a Thai philatelist who signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 2019, is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, and has won a total of eight Grand Prix awards – four FIP and four FIAP. Chirakiti is a specialist in the philately of Thailand and his exhibit “Siam: The Early Years” won the International Grand Prix (FIAP) in 1996 in Beijing, the FIP Grand Prix National in Bangkok in 2003, and the FIP Grand Prix International in Hong Kong in 2004. His “Siam Classic: The First Issue” collection has been awarded two Grand Prix International awards – the FIAP in China 2003, and the FIP in Saint Petersburg in 2007. It was also awarded the Grand Prix d’Honneur in 2014 at Seoul.
Chirakiti is secretary of the Grand Prix Club and was elected as the president of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately executive committee in 2017. In addition to collecting Thailand, and in-particular early Siam, he also collects Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaya. Chirakiti is a member of the Philatelic Association of Thailand under the Patronage of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (PAT), the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL), and the American Philatelic Society (APS). He is an accredited FIAP and FIP judge and served as PAT Director, Vice President for Foreign Affairs and President. He had also served as a member of the FIAP Executive Committee since 2010 and FIP Board of Directors since 2014. Chirakiti has a PhD in Industrial Engineering and has previously held senior positions within the Government of Thailand, including an MP, an advisor to the office of the Prime Minister, and Deputy Governor of Bangkok.