People from history and modern times with fascinating tales to tell
Danes in Siam: Richelieu, Business, and the Making of Modern Bangkok When people think of foreigners in late nineteenth-century Siam, they usually picture British merchants, French diplomats, or American missionaries. Yet one of the most important groups in the country’s modernization was Danish. Danish naval officers helped organize Siam’s navy, Danish soldiers helped build its … Read more
Outsiders in Siam: Revolutionaries, Artists, Saints, and Predators Thailand has always been a crossroads. Traders, missionaries, soldiers, artists, refugees, and adventurers have arrived here for centuries, some passing through and others staying long enough to leave a mark on the country. Most visitors remember the beaches, temples, and food, but behind the postcard version of … Read more
The Bunnag Family: From Persian Traders to Thai Philhanthropists Most people who know Thai history recognise the Bunnag name as one of the great aristocratic families of Thailand. Fewer realise that this very Thai clan actually began as Persian merchants in Ayutthaya more than 400 years ago. Their story is one of the most striking … Read more
King Mongkut: The Extraordinary Monk And Monarch If you’ve ever seen The King and I, you probably have a vague and incorrect picture of King Mongkut, Rama IV, the eccentric, stern, slightly out‑of‑touch monarch of 1860s Siam. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, he was one of the most extraordinary, forward‑thinking rulers … Read more
The Buffalo That Roared: Carabao’s Forty-Year Reign Over Thai Music This is about of one of Thailand’s most unlikely and fascinating success stories of both music and business, with one man in particular, Yuenyong Opakul, the driving force that made it all happened. Three Students in Manila Started It All Every great story needs an … Read more
Puey Ungphakorn: The Man Who Never Needed to Be Important There are some people whose lives sound almost unbelievable when you list the things they did. Puey Ungphakorn was a teacher, economist, British Army officer, secret agent, prisoner, Governor of the Bank of Thailand, university rector and political exile. He was awarded an MBE by … Read more
The Enigma Of Thailand’s Hidden Mani People There are maybe 350 people living in southern Thailand right now whose ancestors have been here longer than anyone else you can name. And I don’t mean slightly longer. I’m talking about 50,000-plus years. The same migration out of Africa that brought every human anywhere on the planet, … Read more
The Rocker in the Execution Room: The Dual Life of Thailand’s Last Executioner To look at photos of Bangkok in the late 1960s is to glimpse a city caught in a whirlwind of cultural transformation. As American soldiers flooded Thailand for Rest and Relaxation (R&R) during the Vietnam War, a vibrant, neon-lit rock-and-roll scene exploded … Read more
Kukrit Pramoj A Man of Literature And Politics Few figures in modern Thai history have cast as long, vibrant, and deeply complex a shadow as Mom Rachawongse Kukrit Pramoj. He was a prince by blood, a bohemian by nature, a fierce political tactician, a master storyteller, and a man who held the fragile heart of … Read more
History G The POW Surgeon Who Cheated Death I’ve always found it remarkable that when we stand among the quiet forests and mist-covered hills of Kanchanaburi today, it’s almost impossible to imagine the suffering that unfolded here in 1943. Yet these peaceful mountains became the route of the infamous Japanese Death Railway where thousands of … Read more