Siamese history and the Karen people

Posted by paul on April 15th, 2008 filed in Uncategorized

Northern Thailand is very famous for its ethnic minorities such as the colourful Akha, Hmong and Lisu hill tribe peoples and they certainly are one of the country’s main tourist highlights. However, not many people are aware of the important role some of these minorities played in Thai history and that these people also lived and still live in other parts of the kingdom.

When hearing the name of Ratchaburi province, the tragic day when a Thai special army unit killed 10, medical treatment demanding, young Karen who were members of “God’s Army” and earlier had raided the hospital, will probably come to many people’s mind. After the 10 were executed it became clear that they hadn’t hurt anyone and they were only trying to find medical help for their severely wounded comrades.

However, there is so much more to tell about the Karen. News broadcast reporting about the Karen’s political conflict with the junta in Myanmar is where the majority of the Thai people know these ethnic people from. What they don’t know is that in Ratchaburi province the Karen, for centuries enjoyed a respectable social status, also according the view of Siam’s Royal Court. There is plenty of historic evidence backing up this fact, such as drawings of the Karen featuring in ancient Thai literature and murals.

 

Karen people working in the rice field

In Samut Songkham province you can find the Bangkhae Yai temple and one of its murals depicts a Siamese officer receiving a delivery of ivory from a Karen. This temple was constructed when King Rama II reigned, in 1814. Depicting a Karen as a hunter and guardian on the Siam-Burma border can be seen on another mural. Historical records also showed that a Karen immigration officer, named Suwan, assisted Siam with capturing 36 Burmese in 1822.

In 1845 King Rama III assigned armed Karen units guarding the borders of the Siamese Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi and Tak provinces. Mentioned in Ratchaburi province’s history was a community staying in Suan Phueng district, naming themselves ‘Sgaw’ and ‘Phlow’, who more than two centuries ago, migrated from the Burmese settlement of Tavoy to Siamese soil.

Today the Karen community in Suan Phueng still struggles with the inhumane and discriminating laws with regards to obtaining Thai citizenship. For years and years hundreds of the Karen waited in vain for their, often by the authorities promised, Thai citizenship. No citizenship for these people means that they’re prohibited to freely travel outside of Ratchaburi province and they can’t benefit from public services.

Introduction to ethnic minorities in Thailand