Wilasinee Rakmumas, an ASEAN Studies Program student at the School of Political Science and Laws, authored an Indonesian-language essay titled “Ukiran Warna-warni di Perahu Koleh” (Colorful Carving on Kolae Boats) that was published in Surya on January 28, 2021. Surya is one of the most prominent and well-known newspapers in East Java, Indonesia.

Wilasinee wrote about kolae boats, which have a long history dating back to the Sukhothai Kingdom, depicting the way of life of the people in Thailand’s southernmost provinces, particularly Narathiwat and Pattani Province. These people’s way of life has long been inextricably linked to the sea and kolae boats, forming cultural treasure that should be preserved. The article offered facts to Indonesian readers that demonstrated the cultural connection between Southern Thais and Indonesians.

Wilasinee began and expanded on this essay in her Indonesian language classroom, where the ASEAN Studies Program allocated third-year students to study with Indonesian lecturers at The State University of Malang during the second and third semesters of the 2020 academic year. Despite the fact that the students had to learn online due to the COVID-19 epidemic, which prevented them from traveling to Indonesia to study as planned, the tight supervision of Indonesian instructors was able to motivate them to improve their Indonesian language skills adequately.