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HM King Chulalongkorn the Great

SilapaThai Lounge and Bar

HM King Chulalongkorn the Great

Fond memories of a Great King

His Majesty King Chulalongkorn the Great

This Thursday, October 23, the Kingdom of Thailand observes Chulalongkorn Day. It is a national holiday, and as such, all banks and most offices will be closed.
His Majesty King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V) was born in 1853, the son of His Majesty King Mongkut and Her Majesty Queen Thep Sirinthorn. In 1868, He was given the title Duke ‘Meun Phikhartnaresueansurasangkas,’ and ascended the throne in 1868, with the title ‘Phrabat Somdej Phra Paraminthra Maha Chulalongkorn Bodinthorn Thep Phaya Maha Mongkut Burutsaya Ratanaraj Rawiwong Warut-tapong Saboripatara Wora Khatiyaraj Nikarodom Jaturatana Borom Maha Chakarapaddiraj Sangart Boromtammika Maha Raja Thiraj Boromanat Bopitara Phra Chulachomklao Chao Yoo Hua.’
His Majesty King Chulalongkorn lived with one purpose in his mind and heart: the happiness and well-being of the Siamese people. His Majesty would often dress as a commoner and move among his people with only two or three advisors. Thus, he was able to discover his subjects’ real feelings, and see what was happening in his Kingdom.
One famous story relates how, after a hard day’s travel, His Majesty and two advisors stopped at a farmer’s house to ask for a drink of water. Rural hospitality being a hallmark of Thai people, the family asked the three strangers to stay and eat with them. Speaking freely, the farmer and his wife told the strangers how their life was progressing and what they would like to see done for their village by the ‘Great King who lives in the Palace in Bangkok.’ The farmer’s son, noticing that one of the strangers looked familiar, found and looked at a daguerreotype of the King belonging to the family. Running back to the group, the family learned that they were serving food to the ‘Lord of Life’ in Siam! HM King Chulalongkorn the Great did this often and thus became ‘in touch’ with the needs of his people.
Another story demonstrates the great love and respect the Siamese people felt for their King. In 1893, the territory-hungry French had formulated a plan to take the Siamese territory of Laos and certain valuable territories on the Eastern Seaboard which produced precious rubies and sapphires. Initially, a French warship entered the Chao Phraya River, deliberately ignoring international law stating that all foreign ships fly their colours when entering the waters of a sovereign country. When hailed by river guards and instructed to fly their colours, the French ship ignored the request, causing the guard to fire a warning shot over its bow. Subsequently, the French Embassy in Bangkok produced a letter, prepared months in advance, which stated that Siam was guilty of an act of aggression and must therefore make reparation by paying a huge fine.
The French, however, were not prepared for what happened next. Hearing of the huge demands, Siamese, both wealthy and poor, brought cartloads of jewels, precious metals and every valuable possible to the Royal Palace and offered it to His Majesty to keep the French out of Siam. The instigators of the plot could never have imagined that Siam was so wealthy and the people so devoted to their King that the fine could be easily be paid.
Still determined to acquire Siam, the French, aided by the British, took all the lands belonging to Siam east of the Mekong River. His Majesty King Chulalongkorn, in his wisdom, knowing that Siam could not resist the armies of both nations, determined to “give up some so as not to lose all.” Over 160,000 square kilometers of territory were lost to the French and the British, but the independence of the nation was saved for the Siamese people.
His Majesty King Chulalongkorn was the first Siamese monarch to visit the West. He believed in adopting all things good from the West whilst keeping the traditional culture of Siam. Wisely, King Chulalongkorn made Russia a strong ally of Siam in order to counteract British and French influence in SE Asia, thus following the Chinese concept of ‘have strong allies but make sure their borders are far away.’ Many of the Royal Princes were sent to study in Russia. In His letters to His sons, the King wisely warned them. ‘Do not feel that you are important because you are a prince. In Siam, there are many princes, whereas in Russia there are few. Do the best you can at your studies and that is enough.’
HM King Chulalongkorn’s most noteworthy achievement was the abolition of slavery in Siam. Unlike the haphazard way this had been done in the West, his method was complex, and involved ‘freeing’ slaves so that older ones would not be left homeless and in poverty. Younger slaves were to be released by ‘stages’, responsibility falling to the owner to see that they had means of support.
His Majesty King Chulalongkorn the Great is beloved of Thai people, and considered amongst historians to be a truly ‘enlightened’ ruler. His Majesty died on October 23, 1910, after the second longest reign in the history of the Thai nation. He is remembered and loved by the Thai people and the date of his death is commemorated every year. Ceremonies are held, offerings are made to his memory and the entire student body from the university that bears his name perform obeisance before his statue. Would that all countries were so lucky to as to have one such enlightened ruler in their collective histories.

SilapaThai Lounge and Bar

The new place to see and be seen!

Andy Archer
Last Thursday saw the opening of a new venue in town, the SilapaThai Lounge and Bar at the Shangri La Hotel – and what an amazing and memorable night it was! Over 200 selected guests, Thai and foreigners, the “Night Owls” of Chiang Mai, enjoyed the lavish occasion with great music and delicious drinks, dancing well into the night to some great, and extremely loud, sounds.

Mom Luang Preeyapun (3rd right) opens the Shangri-La’s new SilapaThai Bar.
The emphasis was on fun – both for the guests and the staff.
Luckily, the rain stopped half an hour before the opening, just as guests were encouraged to mingle in the gardens whilst sipping some very colourful cocktails. At 8 p.m., Mom Luang Preeyapun officially declared the SilapaThai open, everyone was allowed in to admire the stylish décor, and the party began in earnest. Wine and more cocktails flowed freely, “Thaipas” (the SilapaThai’s version of Tapas), were served and the cabaret began with dancers, followed by the famous chanteuse, Wiyaada, who gave an amazing performance of songs old and new, including “YMCA” and a stunning rendering of Edith Piaf ‘s classic theme song, “La Vie en Rose,” to the delight of her fans!
SilapaThai is open Mondays through Saturdays from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. and offers a place to lounge in style both indoors and outdoors, enjoying creative drinks and ‘Thaipas’ along with daily DJ performances – all the makings of a fun-filled evening. Every four tables will have their own host or hostess looking after them personally; the hosts’ uniforms will change from more conservative attire in the earlier part of the evening to casual dress after 10 p.m., reflecting the mood of the evening.
A wide selection of ‘Thaipas’ is available, with signature dishes and a variety of cocktails and other drinks. Prices are reasonable, with, for example, a basic Chang beer costing less than in many old city and night market venues. The Shangri-La seems to have found a niche in the market and filled it with the SilapaThai – stylish, affordable and fun.

Elaine Yue, GM Shangri La, welcomes guests to the opening of the SilapaThai.

The ‘Care for Dogs’ crowd with their supporters,
 but minus their four legged friends.

Prince Malhotra (right) GM of the Chiang Mai Mail,
 networking at the SilapaThai Restaurant & Bar.

Ladies from around town enjoying the festivities.

Wiyaada (centre) brings the house down at the SilapaThai.

JoJo (right), who certainly knows how to throw a wonderful party,
 with Anges from the Shangri La Hotel.

Elena Edwards (Chiang Mai Mail) with friends John and Lois Richard,
at the opening of the Silapa Thai Restaurant & Bar.

Girls just wanna have fun!

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