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On 23 June 1939, [1] Phibun changed the country's name from Siam to Prathet Thai (Thai: ประเทศไทย), or Thailand, said to mean "land of the free". This was a nationalist gesture: it implied the unity of all the Tai -speaking peoples, including the Lao and the Shan, but excluding the Chinese.
Xianluo (Chinese: 暹羅) was the Chinese name for the Ayutthaya Kingdom, merged from Suphannaphum city-state, centered in modern-day Suphan Buri; and Lavo city-state, centered in modern-day Lop Buri. To the Thai, the name of their country has mostly been Mueang Thai. [1] The country's designation as Siam by Westerners likely came from the ...
Thailand, [i] officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), [ii] is a country in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, [ 8 ] it spans 513,115 square kilometres (198,115 sq mi). [ 9 ]
On 24 June 1939, Phibun changed the country's official English name from "Siam" to "Thailand" [7] [8] at Wichitwathakan's urging. [citation needed] The name "Siam" was an exonym of unknown and probably foreign origin, which conflicted with Phibun's nationalist policies. [citation needed]
Supported by writings by his cultural advisor Luang Wichitwathakan, the country's official name was changed from Siam to Thailand in 1939, and cultural mandates and reforms that aimed to define Thainess were implemented to promote national assimilation of Chinese immigrants and other non-Thai-speaking minorities in a process known as Thaification.
Wichitwathakan was chairman of the committee which proposed changing the country's name from Siam to Thailand at the state convention in 1939. He led an irredentist campaign after being presented a map produced by Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient showing the Thai race inhabiting the areas of Siam, Burma, and southern China.
Thailand, formerly known as Siam, was at the time one of few independent countries in Asia. However, the country was also struggling to modernize. Under absolute monarchy, the government was plagued by incompetence. Government service was lacking, poverty was high and even government officials were plagued with glass ceilings. [9]
In 1939, when the name of the country was changed from Siam to Thailand, a competition was launched to create new lyrics, with those by Luang Saranupraphan winning. Thai prime minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram ordered the anthem to be played every day at 08:00 and 18:00 (8 AM and 6 PM), and ordered the populace to stand up to show respect for the ...