The degree was given in recognition of her social, cultural and religious work.

Thailand’s Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University has awarded an honorary doctorate degree to Nang Shwe Hmone, the wife of Burma’s former vice-president, Dr. Sai Mouk Kham.

She received the degree at a ceremony held at the university’s Wang Noi campus in Ayutthaya Province on Sunday. Thousands of Thai students were also in attendance at the ceremony.

“Nang Shwe Hmone has been awarded this honorary doctorate for her outstanding contribution to the community in the fields of religion, education, and social affairs,” Ven. U Nareinda, a lecturer at the university, told SHAN.

Two other Shan people—Ven. Dr. Zao Durn Dai and Nang Mouk Lao—were also honored at the ceremony, according to U Nareinda, who said that the awards were given to people who had made outstanding contributions in the area of religious affairs.

Nang Shwe Hmone’s award was given in recognition of her efforts to provide healthcare to the needy and aid to IDPs and orphans, as well as her work in promoting ethnic culture and literature and supporting local development.

Her husband, former vice-president Dr. Sai Mouk Kham, also received an honorary doctorate from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University in 2016.

Forty-four Shan people, including monks, received bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the university this year. The university, which focuses on the study of Buddhism, has thousands of graduates each year.

More than 600 relatives of the 44 Shan graduates attended this year’s graduation ceremony.