We're
proud of our history. The only Southeast Asian country never
to have been colonized by a European country changed its name
from Siam to Thailand (which can be translated as land of the
Free) in 1939, under the strong Premier Phibunsongkram. It was,
in fact, only in 1932, during the reign of King Rama VII that
the form of government was changed from an absolute to a constitutional
monarchy.
However,
the emergence of Thailand as a unified kingdom probably dates back
to the 13th century, at which time, the Lanna Kingdom (in the area
which is now called
Chiang Mai) and the Sukhothai Kingdom, under King
Ramkamhaeng, were united in their constant campaigns against the
Burmese and Cambodian Kingdoms. It was not until the middle of the
14th century that Ayuthaya cam into prominence at the beginning
of a golden era that lasted until the Burmese finally destroyed
the capital on April 7, 1767.
Following
the total destruction of Ayuthaya, King Taksin the Great moved
the capital to Thonburi, opposite the village of Bangkok, at
the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. In 1782, King Ramathibodi,
better known now as King Rama I, moved across the river to Bangkok
and thus started the Chakri Dynasty. The present monarch, King
Bhumihol Adulyadej is King Rama IX of that dynasty. Actually,
the culture of the area presently known as Thailand goes back
more than 5,000 years.
It is known that the working of copper and bronze were part of the
culture of this area at least that long ago. This has been determined
by the findings of the archaeological "digs" in the northeastern
part of the Kingdom at Ban Chiang (Udon Thani) and Ban Prasat (Nakorn
Ratchasima). It is postulated by some of the archeologists that
this culture pre-dates any similar culture in China.
It was in 1283 when King Ramkamhaeng established the Thai alphabet,
modeled on Indian and Cambodian characters. It consists of 44 consonants
and 24 basic vowels and has five tones. Unfortunately, no standard
way of writing Thai in a western alphabet has ever been established
and this, with the vital importance of the tones, makes it quite
a difficult language for westerners to learn unless they first mater
the Thai alphabet and is diacritical marks.
Clothing and Dress Code
With the generally warm weather in Thailand, you will be happy to
know that light, cool
