Distillery Breakfast: How Shan Rebels Took Phrae in 1902 Wake up early on 25 July 1902 in Phrae and the air smells like teak dust and diesel from the sawmills lining the Yom River. Walk past the market where Shan traders unload turmeric from baskets stacked on ox carts, and you will see men in … Read more
Patani: The Lost Sultanate of Thailand’s Deep South A note before you get confused: Please understand the difference between Pattani province (note the spelling) and Patani which was an independent Sultanate. Many of you who read this will have heard about the “deep south” and the ongoing problems there. This story is about the history … Read more
Anouvong Rebellion: The Last King of Vientiane vs Siam In the dry season of 1827, smoke from burning villages drifted across the Khorat Plateau like a warning. A Siamese patrol captain rode through the ashes and found something worse than empty granaries and scorched fields: the entire population was gone. Tens of thousands of Lao … Read more
Samurai in Thailand: The Rise and Fall of Yamada Nagamasa in Ayutthaya Hi Folks, I’m guessing many of you have visited Ayutthaya, the ruins of the ancient capital city of Siam. Amongst the historical debris, you may have stumbled upon the “Japanese Village”, but do you know why a Japanese Village would be in the … Read more
The Rise and Fall of an Unlikely Greek Imagine arriving in a foreign kingdom with little more than your wits, a talent for languages, and a willingness to take risks. Now imagine rising so high that kings seek your advice, foreign ambassadors fear your influence, and your enemies whisper that you secretly control an entire … Read more