Boonchai Bencharongkul, second left, pictured recently with Sigve Brekke, second right, the CEO of Total Access Communication, and others.

The 53-year-old founder of the long-standing telecommunications holding company beamed with pride during his meeting with the press last Thursday as he shared stories of what he has done during the past year.

It was also the first time he had met with the press since he and three other family members jointly disposed of their 40-per-cent stake in Ucom to a group led by Norway's telecom giant Telenor in October last year, in a deal worth Bt9.2 billion.

It was the talk of the town in the telecom industry before being drowned out by the disposal of Shin Corp shares by the family of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to a group led by Singapore's Temasek Holdings. That deal, which took place in January, was worth more than Bt73 billion.

Boonchai said that after selling his stake to the Telenor-led group, he divided the proceeds into equal proportions for the other family members before he left town to continue pursuing his mission of helping farmers under the sufficiency-economy concept.

One of his projects last year was a collaboration between his Sethakit Ruamduachuakan Co (which translates as Economic Collaboration company) and Pathum Rice Mill and Granary, the packer and distributor of the well-known Mah Boon Krong rice brand, to purchase paddy rice direct from farmers on a market-price basis.

They also provide management services to the farmers.

He said the goal was to support the farming business, enabling farmers to depend less on middlemen.

Boonchai, who has been known for his social contributions, said he was also happily spending time with rice-planting activities last year as well as taking care of youths in his well-known Samnuekrak Bankerd (Love Our Hometown) programme.

The telecom veteran started the project nine years ago with a personal contribution of Bt100 million to provide educational support to youngsters nationwide until they graduate from university. This is to encourage them to contribute what they learn back to their hometown.

"We want to be a role model as a major organisation that takes a lead in social programmes," he said.

Boonchai added that he was encouraged to continue his social-contribution mission after the interim government announced firmly that it would develop the country under the sufficiency-economy concept, a philosophy Boonchai has admired and shared.

"You can see a company like Ucom has always contributed to a better livelihood for farmers, so why can't another telecom company, which is many times bigger than Ucom, do so? I think it could if it wanted to," he said.

The eldest son of the Bencharongkul family has no plans to retire from the business world, and he still spares time for the family-run data network provider Benchajinda Co.

"If not, it may collapse and its employees would become jobless. If they lost their jobs, it would set off a chain reaction," Boonchai said.

Besides dreaming of a better life for farmers, as an avid art lover, Boonchai has another big dream - establishing the country's largest museum.

"I'll put my entire art collection in the museum, which will be in the Benchajinda building," he said.

Boonchai, who has spent about Bt500 million on purchasing art works in the past, said his museum would not charge the elderly and students for entry. However, all others, including foreigners, will be charged Bt200 per ticket.

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation