Phaya Tani: The Symbolic Cannon Taken from Patani to Bangkok In front of Thailand’s Ministry of Defence, opposite the Grand Palace in Bangkok, stands one of the most quietly controversial objects in the country. It is a huge old cannon called Phaya Tani, and although most visitors walk past it without a second glance, it … 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
Trang: The Southern Port That Time Forgot (But Never Stopped Eating) Most people think of southern Thailand as beaches and islands. Trang is that, but it’s also a centuries-old port where Chinese merchants, Malay traders, and Thai communities mixed in ways you can still taste and see today. This is a place where breakfast … 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