Page 35 - A Life Well-Lived Is a Beautiful Memory

It was discovered that he had lesions in the lower colon due to radiation for prostate cancer, a
condition we didn’t know he had since he never mentioned it before. After treating the inflamed

colon, he was fine for about two months until November 2022, when he started experiencing
upper abdominal pain.
We, his close friends, had lunch together around early November 2022 at my daughter’s café

on Phaholyothin 17. After that meeting, we planned to see each other again around New Year.
However, Bhanupong ominously said, “We’ll see if I don’t die first,” indicating he suspected
something serious.
He was diagnosed again at Siriraj Hospital, where my wife, Associate Professor Dr. Walailak
Chaiyasoot, a radiologist there, helped expedite a CT scan on November 30, 2022. The results

showed advanced pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver, lungs, and bones, along with
elevated cancer markers in his blood. He underwent a biopsy through a scope by Associate
Professor Dr.Pojaman Pisalprapa, a gastroenterologist who had also helped with his previous

colonoscopy. I would like to express my gratitude and admiration for Dr.Pojaman’s care.
My wife and I visited Bhanupong at Siriraj after his biopsy, before he went home. He was
very calm, and my wife gave him an MP3 tape of Luang Por Wat Maheyong for him to listen
to, which he appreciated greatly. He then received chemotherapy at Samitivej Hospital for
convenience, as it was closer to his condo. Eventually, he moved to Thammasat Chalermprakiat

University Hospital for palliative care as the disease was unresponsive to treatment.
Bhanupong peacefully passed away on May 13, 2023, about six months after his diagnosis.
Before concluding, I’d like to share that my sister-in-law, Assistant Professor Chueruthai, a junior

colleague of Bhanupong at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Economics, dreamt of him looking
great and well-dressed just a week before his passing. I believe he must be in a happy place
now. With all the good deeds he did in his life, I hope his soul finds itself in a peaceful realm,
encountering the light of Dharma, and practicing Dharma until enlightenment.

With love and remembrance,
Naris

Naris Chaiyasoot served as Rector of Thammasat University from 1998-2004 and Dean of the Faculty
of Economics from 1994-1997. After leaving academia, he became the Director-General of the Fiscal
Policy Office of the Ministry of Finance. He was also a director of various organizations, both private and
public, including as Chairman of the Board of Directors of AP Thailand Public Company Limited and
as Independent Director/Chairman of the Board of Directors of Banpu Public Company Limited, among
others. Naris obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaii.

Bhanupong Nidhiprabha 35