Category: History
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Thailand and the Two Chinas
As we’ve all been inundated with coronavirus coverage, much of it being rather depressing, I’ve decided to write about random aspects of Thai politics and history not related to the ongoing pandemic. Here’s my piece last week on how Siamese cannon ended up at the storming of the Bastille. This was an interesting week for enthusiasts of international…
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How Siamese Cannon Ended up at the Bastille
As we’ve all been inundated with coronavirus coverage, much of it being rather depressing, I’ve decided to start writing about random aspects of Thai politics and history not related to the ongoing pandemic. Here’s my piece last week on how the Thai prime minister’s residence is supposedly haunted. In 1789 the Bastille, an imposing representation of…
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The Haunted Residence of Thailand’s Prime Minister
As we’ve all been inundated with coronavirus coverage, much of it being rather depressing, I’ve decided to start writing about random aspects of Thai politics and history not related to the ongoing pandemic. I hope you enjoy this first installment! In February, a controversy blew up when it emerged that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was…
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Pad Thai is Fascist
Since coming to the United States from Thailand, one of the earliest things that I’ve realised is the prestige of Pad Thai in the eyes of Americans. I’ve never really cared about Pad Thai (it’s fine, I guess, but it is hardly the pinnacle of Thailand’s culinary achievement) and so I watched with amusement as…
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On Barbarians and Civilisations
Earlier this year, I wrote an essay to apply for the University of Michigan’s honours program. It was a piece of writing about history that I quite enjoyed writing. The following was the prompt: The Austrian writer and social critic Karl Kraus wrote, “Civilisations end, since barbarians erupt from it.” Our question to you is, what…
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The Story of Thai Democracy: Lessons Learned
Thailand, today, remains mired in a political crisis. The country is still as divided as ever. Conflict over what Thai democracy should really be like remains. Trouble seems to continue to loom by the time the next election comes around. In these circumstances, it would be probable that many would now be dusting off their…
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The Story of Thai Democracy: From Thaksin to Today
This post is the tenth post in the series ‘The Story of Thai Democracy’, where I’ll be covering the political history of Thailand since the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. You can read the previous posts in this series here. In 2001, a seminar was being held at Thammasat University, discussing the recent election victory…
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The Story of Thai Democracy: Black May
This post is the ninth post in the series ‘The Story of Thai Democracy’, covering the political history of Thailand since the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. You can see the rest of this project here. The era of Generals Kriangsak Chamanan and Prem Tinsulanonda had been peaceful and stable, but what did not…
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The Story of Thai Democracy: Premier Prem
This post is the eighth post in the series ‘The Story of Thai Democracy’, covering the political history of Thailand since the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. You can see the rest of this project here. The period between the twin October tragedies had been chaotic even by the standards of Thai politics. True,…
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The Story of Thai Democracy: Octobers of Tragedy
This post is the seventh post in the series ‘The Story of Thai Democracy’, covering the political history of Thailand since the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. You can see the rest of this project here. The death of Sarit Thanarat left a vacancy in the post of prime minister. Aside from the scandalous…
Ken Mathis Lohatepanont 