The International Understanding Program (IUP) was the forerunner of the present Thai World Affairs Center (Thai World). It was officially established on October 1, 1986, and carried out its objectives under that banner until the end of 2003. The change of the name at this time is due to the changing world situation. The advancement of new information technology enables us to operate more efficiently, by adjusting our organizational structure, activities, and name accordingly. However, the present Thai World remains an independent organization attached to the Institute of Asian Studies (IAS), Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

Since its establishment, IUP (now Thai World) engaged in various activities relevant to its objectives. In the first 8 years, it occasionally organized lecture/seminar series aimed at promoting international understanding. They included “Meet the Ambassador” forum which provided opportunities for foreign ambassadors to Thailand to meet with the public in an informal setting. Second, it gave awards to a number of eminent Thais who had an outstanding record in promoting international understanding. Third, in two consecutive years, 1996-1997, it administered nation-wide competitions, with cooperation of a number of newspapers and television programs, in selecting 7 promising young students and teachers as its “people ambassadors” to Japan and China, to interact with their counterparts there for about 8 days on each visit. Fourth, simultaneously, the program produced occasional papers or information sheets to be supplied to interested individuals, institutions of higher learning, government agencies, and other selected organizations. Lastly, in the last six years, it has re-produced, on a monthly basis, the Thailand Monitor for world-wide distribution.

The original Thailand Monitor was a collection of articles on Thailand published in the English mass media in Thailand. It differed from the current Thailand Monitor on our present website in that the former’s copyright belonged to original publishers and IUP was allowed to reproduce and distribute articles by mail only, but the latter’s copyright belongs to the Thai World, and the stories contained herein are written and edited by the Thai World’s team of experts. However, the objectives are the same: to promote better understanding of Thailand, among foreigners. It must be noted that the Thai World is currently sharing this website with a Thai version of World Society, dedicated to promoting better understanding of the world among the Thai people.