I am now working on thai- english (for farrang who want to speak thai) free project for ppl on TF.During work yesterday I was reading about him...............

Sor Sethabutr, an engineer turned politician who created an impressive English-Thai dictionary while held as a political prisoner on Tarutao Island.

The dictionary, the largest ever written at the time of its publication 56 years ago, is still in use today, even though its author is long deceased.

His family was poor, but by virtue of hard work he earned the top place nationwide in scholarship entrance exams to the prestigious Suan Kulab school in Bangkok. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree, with honours, in geology and engineering from Manchester University in England.

After his return he served as director-general of the Comptroller-General's Department, before advising the King as a deputy privy councillor. In 1933, a year after Thailand's first coup d'état which installed Phot Phahonyothin as prime minister, Sor Setabutr was sentenced to life as a political prisoner, in Bang Kwang prison, and on Tarutao and Tao Islands.

He served 10 years and 11 months, amid the risk of malaria and food shortages, before being pardoned. It was during that time that he wrote his dictionary, though how he managed such a mammoth and painstaking task given the meagre academic resources at his disposal on that island

After being freed from jail, he worked as editor of several newspapers, in Thai and English, before entering politics. He became a member of parliament for Thon Buri, and served as a deputy minister of agriculture under the government of Major Khuang Abhaiwongse. He died in September 1970, at the age of 67.

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I think something like that would not happen if he did not have such a good mother who sent him stationaries and supported him in many ways.

I understand how hard his mother life when her only son was in jail.I do respect him as one of my teachers.

if you can read thai ...pls. take a look at http://campus.sanook.com/u_life/knowledge_05439.php

Excellent dictionary my favourite which also gives examples for usage of the words in sentence, expression and idiom forms etc

will u tell everything about ur life on tf? lol

supannee: almost ...I said before ...it will be a part of my family history

Hehe...and we, who are not native english speaking?

Anyway, your energy and kindness are very respectfull

travelraven: can not do in multi-languages KA ... have no money to support

Very cool, Fay! I may have given a copy of this dictionary to my Thai tutor when I left the states. I had found it in a used bookstore, and I think the edition I had was published in the 1950s or so. It was quite a large and old dictionary, but I don't remember the author's name.

That was a nice bit of history. Koh Tao is almost totally devoted to dive tourism now, but I'm sure it wasn't a pleasant place to be a prisoner.