On 24 January 2017, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, graciously granted an audience to the PSU administrative team led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chusak Limsakul, PSU President, on the kind initiative of H.E. Mr. Chayapan Bamrungphong, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
His Royal Highness hailed the prolific collaboration between academic institutions of the two countries, and lauded PSU's prestigious status in Thailand. The Prime Minister also noted the advantages of initiating collaboration in the fields of medical and public health via existing international MoUs.
The PSU delegation expressed gratitude for HRH Premier's generous donation of $1,000,000 that led to the establishment of the “His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Trust Fund” for a wide variety of humanitarian academic purposes, furthering the bilateral relations of the two friendly nations in 2009. PSU President Dr. Chusak Limsakul respectfully presented His Royal Highness a comprehensive report on the use and benefits of the Trust Fund since its establishment until present.
This auspicious visit marked the second time for a PSU delegation to have been granted audience with His Royal Highness, after the first time in January 2010. The strong relationship between Prince of Songkla University and the Kingdom of Bahrain reached a milestone in August 2009, when PSU had the great honor and privilege to confer an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Political Science to His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In addition to the propitious royal audience, the PSU delegation also visited notable academic institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain, including the University of Bahrain, Applied Science University and Ahlia University, on January 23-24. Discussions focused on future academic collaboration, particularly in the areas of staff and student exchange, joint research, joint degrees and joint conferences. The PSU delegates were warmly welcomed by Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, President of University of Bahrain, Prof. Ghassan Fouad Aouad, President of Applied Science University and Prof. Mansoor Ahmed Alaali, President of Ahlia University, respectively. The PSU delegation was also given campus tours to visit outstanding centers and observe the excellent facilities of the universities.
