A History of Thailand
Third Edition
A History of Thailand offers a lively and accessible account of Thailand’s political, economic, social and cultural history, from the early settlements in the Chao Phraya basin to today.
Now in its third edition, this book explores how a world of mandarin nobles and unfree peasants was transformed by colonialism, the expansion of the rice frontier and immigration of traders and labourers from southern China. It examines how the monarchy managed the foundation of a new nation-state at the turn of the 20th century.
Baker and Phongpaichit capture the clashes between various groups – urban nationalists, ambitious generals, communist rebels and business politicians – in their attempts to take control of the nation-state in the 20th century. They track Thailand’s economic changes through the highs and lows of an economic boom, globalization and the evolution of mass society.
This edition sheds light on Thailand’s recent political, social and economic developments, covering the coup of 2006, the violent street politics of May 2010, and the landmark election of 2011 and its aftermath. It shows how in Thailand today the monarchy, the military, business and new mass movements are players in a complex conflict over the nature and future of the country’s democracy.
CHRIS BAKER taught Asian history at Cambridge University and has lived in Thailand for over 30 years. He is now an independent writer, researcher and translator.
PASUK PHONGPAICHIT is Professor in the Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. She has written widely in Thai and English on the Thai economy, sex industry, corruption, illegal economy and inequality.
A History of Thailand
Third Edition
Chris Baker
Pasuk Phongpaichit
477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia
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© Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit 2014
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First published 2005
Second edition 2009
Reprinted 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Third edition 2014
Cover design by Adrian Saunders
Typeset by Aptara Corp.
Printed in Singapore by C.O.S Printers Pte Ltd
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
A Cataloguing-in-Publication entry is available from the catalogue
of the National Library of Australia at www.nla.gov.au
ISBN 978-1-107-42021-2 Paperback
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Contents
Illustrations
Preface
Abbreviations
Glossary
Chronology
1 Before Bangkok
2 The old order in transition, 1760s to 1860s
3 Reforms, 1850s to 1910s
4 Peasants, merchants, and officials, 1870s to 1930s
5 Nationalisms, 1910s to 1940s
6 The American era and development, 1940s to 1960s
7 Ideologies, 1940s to 1970s
8 Globalization and mass society, 1970s onwards
Postscript: The strong state and the well-being of the people
Notes
Reigns and prime ministers
Glossary of names
Readings
Index
Illustrations
Figures
1 Everyday realism enters wat murals (Photographs by Steve Van Beek)
2 King Mongkut between different worlds
3 Siamese nobility on the eve of the west (Thailand National Archives)
4 King Chulalongkorn, modern and revealed (Thailand National Archives)
5 Monarchy mobilizing history (Thailand National Archives)
6 Before the rice frontier (Rare Books Collection, Siam Society Library, Bangkok)
7 Working women (Rare Books Collection, Siam Society Library, Bangkok)
8 Late 19th-century streetside gambling (Thailand National Archives)
9 Farming on the backs of the people (Image copied from the National Library of Thailand)
10 Revolutionaries in Paris (Archive, Thammasat University)
11 The nation free and militant (Photographs by Dr Thamrongsak Petchlertanan)
12 Miss Afternoon Wear (Thailand National Archives)
13 American servicemen on R&R leap ashore (The Nation newspaper)
14 Sarit on tour in the hill villages of Mae Hong Son (1963 cremation volume)
15 Execution of Khrong Chandawong and Thongphan Suthimat (Permission of Khrong’s daughter)
16 The king as developer (The Nation newspaper)
17 Mass demonstration on the eve of 14 October 1973 (Archive, Thammasat University)
18 Poster supporting women workers who seized control of the Hara factory (Bangkok Labour Museum and Chatchawan Chatsuthichai)
19 A wounded student inside Thammasat University (Archive, Thammasat University)
20 Supporters of the CPT surrender their weapons (The Nation newspaper)
21 Farmers protest about the Kho Jo Ko land resettlement scheme (The Nation newspaper)
22 Mass mobilization (Photograph by Steve Van Beek)
23 Black May (The Nation newspaper)
24 Thaksin Shinawatra declares victory in a war against drugs (Bangkok Post)
25 Red Shirt procession, Bangkok, March 2010 (Matichon newspaper)
Maps
1 Mainland Southeast Asia
2 Early political geography
3 Political geography on the eve of reform
4 Drawing Siam’s borders, 1892–1909
5 Thailand in the Second World War
6 Modern Thailand
7 Electoral geography, 2001–11
Charts
1 Estimated population in area of modern Thailand, 1800
–2010
2 Real GDP per head, 1951–2012
Preface
History was invented for the nation-state. It has a tendency to imagine ‘the false unity of a self-same, national subject evolving through time’ (Prasenjit Duara). All too easily, the nation becomes something natural that always existed but was only properly realized in the nation-state. In reaction against this tendency, historians today prefer to write about people, things, ideas, localities, regions, or the globe – anything but the nation. Or else they write reflective histories about the interplay between the nation and the production of its own history.
The approach adopted here is to make the career of the nation-state the explicit focus of the story. One of the themes of this book is how the idea of the nation and the machinery of the nation-state were established in Thailand, and then how different social forces tried to make use of it – by reinterpreting what the nation meant, and by seeking to control or influence the use of state power. The second major theme is the evolution of the social forces involved. After the introductory chapter, the chapters alternate between these two themes, though the division is rough not rigid.
The publisher wants the books in this series to be accessible to a wide readership, not too long and not overloaded with academic referencing. Our policy has been to limit footnoting to the sources for direct quotations. The appendix of ‘Readings’ cites major published works in English, but rather little has been published in English on modern Thailand over the past generation. In Thai there has been a huge amount, and even more exists in unpublished theses in both Thai and English. Our dependence on these works should be easily recognizable by their authors and other experts. Some of the most important are: Srisak Vallibhotama, Geoff Wade, Phiset Jiajanphong, and Sratsawadi Ongsakun on early history; Nidhi Eoseewong and Saichon Sattayanurak on early Bangkok society; Davisakdi Puaksom, Attachak Sattayanurak, and Rujaya Abhakorn on the Chulalongkorn reform era; Phimpraphai Phisanbut, Chamnongsri Rutnin, and Panni Bualek on city society; Chatthip Nartsupha, David Johnston, and Atsushi Kitahara on rural society; Nakharin Mektrairat, Eiji Murashima, Thamrongsak Petchloetanan, Chanida Phromphayak Puaksom, Saichon Sattayanurak, Chaloemkiat Phianuan, Morakot Jewachinda, Vichitvong na Pombejra, Phenphisut Inthraphirom, and Matt Copeland on nationalisms; Chalong Soontravanich, Somsak Jeamteerasakul, Suthachai Yimprasoet, and Charnvit Kasetsiri on the American era; Praphat Pintobtaeng, Thirayuth Boonmi, Anek Laothamatas, Ubonrat Siriyuvasak, James Ockey, Kasian Tejapira, and Thongchai Winichakul on Thailand since 1975. We would like to record our appreciation and thanks, along with apologies for any shortcomings in our use of these works.
The book was written in Thailand but with indispensable help from forays to libraries and research centres elsewhere. We are especially grateful to the Center of Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University, the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies in Copenhagen, Johns Hopkins SAIS in Washington, and the libraries of the Australian National University and Cambridge University.
We would like to thank Kevin Hewison, Craig Reynolds, Malcom Falkus, Grant Evans, Andrew Brown, and John Funston who commented on earlier drafts of the manuscript.
For help in finding the illustrations, thanks to the Thailand National Archives, Thammasat University Archives, Bangkok Post, The Nation, the Siam Society, Anake Nawikamune, Charnvit Kasetsiri, Chatchawan Chatsuthichai, Daoruang Naewthong, Ekkarin Latthasaksiri, Kane Sarika, Kovit Sanandaeng, Krairoek Nana, Matichon, Nantiya Tangwisutijit, Nick Nostitz, Pana Janviroj, Piriya Krairiksh, Sa-ard Angkunwat, Sakdina Chatrakul na Ayudhya, Sanga Luchapatthanakon, Sharon O’Toole, Somsuda Leyavanija, Steve Van Beek, Subhatra Bhumiprabhas, Thamrongsak Petchloetanan, and Warunee Osatharam.
Note on the third edition, 2014
We have updated the account up to early 2014, including the coup of 2006, the troubles of May 2010, and the landmark election of 2011. In a few other places, we have made small changes incorporating newly published research.
Note on transliteration and names
Official spellings are used for kings and places, and conventional forms for some well-known names. Otherwise, Thai is translated using the Royal Institute system, with the exception of using ‘j’ for jo jan.
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
BAAC Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives
CDA Constitution Drafting Assembly
CEO chief executive officer
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
CP Charoen Pokphand group of companies
CPD Campaign for Popular Democracy
CPT Communist Party of Thailand
GDP gross domestic product
IMF International Monetary Fund
ISOC Internal Security Operations Command
ITV Independent Television
KMT Kuomintang
MP member of parliament
NESDB National Economic and Social Development Board, the planning agency
NGO non-governmental organization
NIO National Identity Office
NPKC National Peacekeeping Council
OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
PAD People’s Alliance for Democracy
PFT Peasants Federation of Thailand
PPB Privy Purse Bureau
PPE Philosophy, Politics and Economics
PPP People Power Party
SEATO Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
TRT Thai Rak Thai Party (Thais love Thais)
UDD United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship
UN United Nations
USAID US Agency for International Development
Glossary
angyi
a Chinese secret society
baht
a unit of currency
barami
charisma; innate authority
Bodhisatta
a future Buddha
cakkavatin
the universal emperor in Buddhist cosmology
chaiyaphum
‘victorious emplacement’; the science of siting a city
Chakri
the name of the Bangkok dynasty; adapted from King Rama I’s former title as a minister of the military
chaophraya
one of the highest non-royal titles in the traditional ranking system
chat
birth; race; nation
chatprathet
nation-state
chedi
a stupa; a reliquary temple
choduek
the traditional title for the head of the Chinese community
compradore
an agent of a colonial firm, liaising with local partners or customers
corvée
labour exacted by a feudal lord
ekkarat
a unified and independent kingdom
farang
a westerner; a European; a foreigner
Isan
the northeast region
itthiphon
influence
jao
a lord; a ruler; a member of the royal family/clan
jao pho
a godfather; the mafia
jao sua
a merchant prince, especially Chinese (Thai adaptation of a Chinese phrase)
jap jong
the process of staking a claim to unused land
jataka
a collection of tales of the former lives of the Buddha; often used for preaching, or as the subjects of temple murals
jek
a pejorative term for Chinese in Thailand
kalahom
a minister and ministry in charge of the southern region in the traditional form of government, and overseeing defence in the modern form
kamnan
the head of a group of villages
kanmueang ning
quiet or calm politics
kathin
the ceremony of presenting new robes to Buddhist monks
kha ratchakan
a bureaucrat; originally, the servant of the king
khon samai mai
modern people
khwaen
a confederation of mueang
lak ratchakan
the principle of service to the king
lak wicha
the principle of law and rationality
luk thung
‘child of the field’, a music style
lukjin
‘child of China’, a term for Thai-born descendants of a Chinese immigrant
mahanakhon
‘great cities’
mankhong
security
manutsayatham
humanitarianism, or a belief in people
muang fai
weir-and-channel irrigation system
mueang
a political unit; originally a city-state, but also applicable to countries