On 23 October 2013, Mr. Marut Jitpatima, Ambassador of Thailand, and members of Team Thailand in Singapore, attended a merit-making ceremony at Wat Anand Metyarama Thai Temple to commemorate “King Chulalongkorn Day.” During the ceremony, 10 senior Thai and Singaporean Buddhist monks, led by the Venerable Chao Khun Phra Tepsiddhivides, Chief Monk of Wat Ananda Metyarama, chanted prayers in honor of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn, the fifth Monarch of the Chakri Dynasty, who was one of the most beloved
and honoured kings of Thailand. 

In his address to the participants, Ambassador Jitpatima expressed gratitude to His Majesty King Chulalongkorn, whose 42 year reign from 1868 – 1910 was an era of modernization and reforms for Thailand with extensive social and economic development,
including abolition of slavery. The Royal Thai Embassy in Singapore is particularly grateful to His Majesty King Chulalongkorn for his farsightedness in purchasing a piece of land on Orchard Road, on which the Royal Thai Embassy is presently located.

Singapore was the first overseas destination that His Majesty King Chulalongkorn visited in 1871. During that visit and subsequent trips to Singapore, he was able to observe
the construction of a railway network, city planning, post and telegraph services, and the operations of hospitals, prisons, courts of justice, fire brigades, and military affairs. 

The bronze Elephant Statue outside the Arts House was given by His Majesty King Chulalongkorn to Singapore as a token of appreciation to the warm hospitality extended to him during his first official visit to Singapore in 1871. His Majesty King Chulalongkorn had helped lay a foundation of friendship between Thailand and Singapore, which remains close and strong until the present days.