The Rotary Club of Bangkok is the oldest Rotary club in Thailand. This is how it started — and how it got to where it is today.
On 17 September 1930, sixty-nine men gathered at Phya Thai Palace in Bangkok. They were diplomats, doctors, engineers, merchants, lawyers, and members of the Thai royal family. They came from fifteen different countries — Siam, the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Japan, India, and more. What they had in common was a belief that people of standing in a community should use their influence and skills for the good of others.
That meeting founded the Rotary Club of Bangkok — the first Rotary club in Thailand.
A Prince, a Canadian, and an Idea Worth Spreading
The club came together largely through two men. The first was H.R.H. Prince Purachatra Jayakara (1881–1936), a senior royal who served as Director-General of the Royal State Railways of Siam. The second was James W. Davidson, a special envoy from Rotary International who had come from the Rotary Club of Alberta, Canada, with a mission to grow Rotary across Southeast Asia.
Davidson got an audience with Prince Purachatra, who saw the point immediately: professionals should serve their community not just as individuals, but as an organised group committed to both ethics and practical action. The Prince personally invited sixty-eight others to join him.
Looking at the founding roll-call, the range is striking: Siamese royalty alongside American trade commissioners; Hong Kong Shanghai Bank alongside the Bangkok Times; Diethelm & Co. alongside Chulalongkorn University; Mitsui Bussan Kaisha alongside Christ Church. It was an international club from day one.
The Club received its formal charter — Charter No. 3392 — from Rotary International on 28 November 1930.
A Royal Connection
The Rotary Club of Bangkok has had an unusually close relationship with the Thai monarchy.
On 23 December 1931, just over a year after the founding, H.M. King Prachadipok (Rama VII) attended a Club banquet at Phya Thai Palace Hotel, with Prince Purachatra presiding as Club President. The event was recorded in the Royal Gazette.
In 1955, at the Club's 25th Silver Anniversary, H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) agreed to become the Royal Patron of Rotary in Thailand — a distinction no other country has received. He later presided over a fundraising dinner for the Club in February 1969.
In 1980, at the Club's Golden Anniversary, Their Majesties King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit hosted the celebrations at Suan Ambhorn Palace.
In 1990, H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn spoke at a gathering marking the 60th anniversary of Rotary in Thailand and accepted Honorary Membership of the Rotary Club of Bangkok. She remains an Honorary Member today.
Serving Through Everything
The Club was born in the final years of Thailand's absolute monarchy. It survived the political changes of 1932. It kept meeting through World War II. It watched Bangkok transform from a royal capital into a global city. It responded to floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, and a pandemic. Through all of it, the Thursday meetings kept going.
When the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami struck, over 1.2 million Baht in donations came in from Rotary clubs around the world, routed through Bangkok. The Club channelled funds into rebuilding in Phang-Nga and Krabi, running a joint project with clubs from Calgary and Las Vegas over several years. When the Great Floods of 2011–12 hit central Thailand, Club members raised 220,150 Baht at a single meeting and went on to install clean water systems in flood-affected schools.
When northern Thailand flooded again in August 2024, the Club raised 60,500 Baht within days. When Myanmar was hit by earthquake in March 2025, members contributed 329,535 Baht to district disaster relief within a week.
A King's Music, a Royal Gift
One of the more memorable episodes in the Club's history came in 2006–07, when H.M. King Bhumibol — a serious composer and jazz musician — agreed to a "Jazz King" concert and CD project, marking his 60th anniversary on the Throne. Net proceeds of close to 4.5 million Baht went to the Royal Project Foundation, supporting some of Thailand's most rural communities.
The Club Today
The Rotary Club of Bangkok has 83 members today, representing more than twenty nationalities. The weekly meetings continue, the service committees are active, and the Club maintains sister club relationships with clubs in Singapore, Manila, Makati, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, and Kowloon East.
The goal is to reach 100 members by the centenary in 2030.
Ninety-five years after that first meeting, the spirit that brought together a prince, a Canadian envoy, and sixty-seven others from fifteen countries is still here.
Service Above Self.
The Rotary Club of Bangkok was chartered on 28 November 1930 as Charter No. 3392 of Rotary International. It is the first Rotary club established in Thailand.