Today’s feature was a bit of a struggle when it came to researching and verifying the information. However, it was worth it. On this date in 1939, the country of Siam officially changed its name to Thailand. I grew up knowing somewhat about Thailand, and my grandparents had a Siamese cat named Ginger (she was mean!). My first exposure to the old country name of Siam was in the musical The King and I.
It was then that I asked my mom about what country “Siam” was. When she told me Thailand was the current name, I wondered briefly why the name had changed, but I didn’t think any more about it. And so this morning I learned that Field Marshal Muang Thai changed the name on this date to Prathet Thai which means land of Thais or “Free Land.” From what I understand, it was later when other countries officially accepted the name change.
I have never visited Thailand, although my grandmother did. And I have a friend in England who has a friend who “married” a woman in Thailand. It is very complicated, and she cannot come to Thailand. She is prostitute who supposedly is married to him, and he sends her money every month to keep her faithful to him. It’s a rather crazy story, and he appears to be way too trusting. I haven’t heard any updates about the situation in quite some time.
For more information;
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/siam-officially-renamed-thailand
http://www.studymode.com/essays/Thailand-Country-Profile-1285808.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070323190618AAhTUWj
http://www.textbooksproject.com/For%20the%20LOVE%20OF%20SIAM.htm
http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/country_20050328/refreshercourse.aspx
http://famousdaily.com/history/siam-renamed-thailand.html
http://www.csmngt.com/thailand_history.htm
