In Thailand are a growing number of Montessori schools and organizations. The first Montessori Schools since 1995 have been founded in Phuket by Willem van Benthum, founder of the Rawai Progressive International Montessori School in Phuket (1996), in Pattaya Naklua and by parents in Chiang Mai (Piti Suksa School in 1998). But the history of Alternative education in Thailand and the influence of Maria Montessori to several (mostly private schools) might date back to much earlier years.