A birthday party was held in the child's honour at Sukhothai Palace, the residence of the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince and his son, together with HRH Princess Srirasmi and Princess Siriwan Warinarirat, started the auspicious day with a Buddhist ceremony.

The baby prince, often referred to as Phra Ong Tee, appeared lively and in good spirits throughout the day.

After the ceremony, the royal couple and their two children went to Tha Rajaworadit on the banks of the Chao Phya River to release 21 birds, 21 turtles and 21 fish. Also released yesterday were two cattle.

The releasing of the captive animals is a Buddhist tradition.

Afterwards, the Crown Prince and his family returned to Sukhothai Palace, where they were greeted by about 250 guests invited to take part in the birthday celebration.

After the infant prince blew out the candle on his birthday cake, the guests were treated to a short music video "Kue Sai Yai" (Of love and care) dedicated to Phra Ong Tee and Princess Srirasmi. The newly released video showed the royal mother and child expressing deep affection towards one another.

The song was produced by GMM Grammy, sung by Thai pop star Thongchai McIntyre and composed by Nithipong Hornag.

The song was part of a campaign "Sai Yai Rak Jak Mae Su Luk" (Love and care from mother to children) that was initiated and launched by Princess Srirasmi on December 9 to promote childcare and breast-feeding for infants.

As part of Pra Ong Tee's birthday celebration, the project handed over a day-care centre to be used by palace staff. Located in the "193" Phra Rajcha Than in the royal compound, the centre has a health garden, a library and an information centre, all of which are geared towards promoting children's health. It has a staff of 121.

Besides the one in Bangkok, the project has also opened centres in Nakhon Ratchasima and Nakhon Si Thammarat, each with 147 employees, and in Chiang Mai, with a staff of 53.

Kupluthai Pungkanon

The Nation