Last modified: 2001-09-08 by santiago dotor
Keywords: thailand | siam | historical | ensign: civil | regent | prime minister | governor | elephant | chakra | stripes: 5 | kojasri | mythical creature | rajasri | lion | crown: thai | coat of arms | garuda (red) |
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Not all flag books are in agreement on when the various flags of Siam/Thailand were introduced. According to Crampton, the first flag of Thailand was red with a white chakra, that is a Buddhist wheel in a fan-like shape. Some sources state that the first flag was a plain red field. In 1817 a white elephant was added to the centre of the chakra. The white elephant is connected to the mythological origin of the founding dynasty of Thailand, and is an emblem of the Royal family. Sources: Crampton 1992; Jos Poels 1990; Crampton 1991.
From contributions by
Roy Stilling, 21 February 1996
Jan Oskar Engene, 3 October 1996 and
Mark Sensen, 3 March 1997
The Flags of the Principal Nations of the World 1837 flag chart, printed by Hinnman and Dutton, shows Siam with a red field and a white disk in the center. Upon the white disk is a simple drawing of a sun with a face upon it. The identical sun drawing appears in the canton of the flag of Uruguay, to the hoist side of the central white stripe of the flag of Buenos Ayres (sic) and in the middle of the vertical red white red flag of Peru. I would not judge the Siam drawing to be authentic as it differs from Crampton's description (see below). The flag next to Siam in my chart is Burma - a red field with a white elephant facing the fly. If anyone has a copy (original or the German reprint) of the Norrie and Hobbs 1840 book on maritime flags they should check Siam out.
Nick Artimovich, 3 April 1998
From the Singha Beer source:
According to historical records, from the reign of King Narai the Great of the Ayudhya Era, down through the Thonburi and Ratanakosin Periods, a plain red banner represented the national flag on merchant ships trading with nations overseas.
Santiago Dotor, 26 October 1999
For the origin of Thai flag, it was a plain red flag during the reign of King Narai the Great (1656-1688).
Wisarut Bholsithi, 29 October 1999
![[Flag of Siam (Thailand) 1855-1916]](../images/t/th-1855.gif)
by Jan Oskar Engene
In 1855 the chakra was dropped, leaving only the white elephant on the red field. Sources: Crampton 1992; Jos Poels 1990; Crampton 1991.
From contributions by
Roy Stilling, 21 February 1996
Jan Oskar Engene, 3 October 1996 and
Mark Sensen, 3 March 1997
From the Singha Beer source:
During the reign of King Rama IV, Thailand signed more and more treaties with various Western powers. Realizing however, that plain red flags were used by several other countries as well, thus making it difficult to differentiate between them and the national flag, a white elephant was placed in the center, thereby creating a new national flag.During the reign of King Rama VI, Decree R.S. 129 concerning flags was amended. The new national flag that emerged consisted of a red background and a white elephant in a decorative harness with all the trappings, with its back towards a pole rising from the center of the raised dais on which it was standing.
I wonder if the latter is the same as the 1891 Naval Ensign on FOTW.
Santiago Dotor, 26 October 1999
The white elephant was added up during King Rama II (1809-1824) since King Rama II received 3 white elephants during his reign. Later on, the white elephant in the red flag had more decoration.
Wisarut Bholsithi, 29 October 1999
![[Flag of Siam (Thailand) 1916-1917]](../images/t/th-1916.gif)
by Mark Sensen
The story goes that during the 1916 flood the king of Siam (since 26th June 1939 called Thailand) saw the national flag (red with a white elephant) hanging upside down. Because of the distress a new flag was adopted that couldn't be hung upside down. Initially it was a red field with two white bands, but on 28th September 1917, the middle stripe was changed to blue to show solidarity with the Allies during the First World War. The name of the flag is therefore "Trairanga" or "Trairong", meaning tricolour. The proportions of the flag are 2:3, while the stripes are arranged 1-1-2-1-1. Sources: Crampton 1992; Jos Poels 1990; Crampton 1991.
From contributions by
Roy Stilling, 21 February 1996
Jan Oskar Engene, 3 October 1996 and
Mark Sensen, 3 March 1997
From the Singha Beer source:
After a while the white elephant flag was changed to a striped flag with two horizontal stripes —one red, the other white— flanking a blue stripe running across the middle. In B.E. 2460 [1917 AD], the King issued a decree in which he christened the new national flag —the one that has been in use ever since— the trairanga or tricolor.
Santiago Dotor, 26 October 1999
It's during the reign of King Vajiravut (1910-1925), that the flag was changed to the 5 stripe flag — red and white from 1916-1917. In 1917, the middle red stripe was changed to the blue stripe to make the flag look much better and the blue colour is for Friday — the day King Vajiravut was born (January 1, 1880) On September 28, 1917, the Flag Law of 1917 was promulgated and stated that the national flag became the trichelon [sic] flag the one we use today.
Wisarut Bholsithi, 29 October 1999
![[Civil Ensign 1910-1917 (Thailand)]](../images/t/th~c1910.gif)
The blue border matches the original source's background and is not part of the flag
from the Singha Beer source
From the Singha Beer source:
Khakhai (Merchant-Marine Flag) [ie. Civil Ensign]The image above could well be an ill rendering of the Siam (Thailand) 1916-1917 flag above. The only question remains as to the year of approval, 1910 or 1916. Perhaps it was approved in 1910 as a civil ensign and in 1916 as national flag?
This is a rectangular flag with two white parallel stripes on a plain red background.The flag was first used following an amendment to Royal Decree (R.S.129) issued in B.E.2453 [1910 AD]. Later on however, it was abolished following another amendment, a Royal Decree —Article Two— issued in B.E.2460 [1917 AD].
Santiago Dotor, 12 November 1999
![[Regent 1936 (Thailand)]](../images/t/th_regen.gif)
1:1
The blue border matches the original source's background and is not part of the flag
from the Singha Beer source
From the Singha Beer source:
The Regent's FlagThis appears in Flaggenbuch 1939 as Regentschaftsrat or "Regency Council" and having a 1:1 ratio. The garuda is shown completely red, including talons etc.
This is a square white flag. In the middle stands a coat of arms with a yellow stripe measuring one-tenth the width of the flag.The coat of arms itself consists of the colours of the "Trairanga", though the stripes are at an angle at the centre of the escutcheon. Above the coat of arms hovers a red garuda. The flag was only used to denote the presence of the Regent on official duty. It was first used in B.E.2479 [1936 AD].
Santiago Dotor, 5 November 1999
![[Prime Minister 1939-1979 (Thailand)]](../images/t/th_pm939.gif)
5:6
The blue border matches the original source's background and is not part of the flag
from the Singha Beer source
From the Singha Beer source:
The Prime Minister's Flag (B.E.2482) [1939 AD]
This is a white square, flag with a base measuring five-sixths of its length. In the middle stands the official state seal of the Prime Minister flanked by two creatures from Thai mythology — the "Kojasri" (a lion with an elephant's trunk) to the right, and the "Rajasri" (Lion) to the left, guarding a red chalice symbolizing democracy. Above hovers the Chakkri Crown in yellow.This flag was first created following a special Royal Decree concerning flags, in B.E.2479 [1936 AD] — a turning point in the country's history, when Siam became a constitutional monarchy. The flag seen here was first used in B.E.2482 [1939 AD] and has been in use until B.E.2522 [1979 AD].
Santiago Dotor, 5 November 1999
Flaggenbuch 1939 shows a white flag like the Regent's one with a 5:6 ratio, a centred escutcheon, no garuda and the two supporters described above —Kojasri and Rajasri— as Ministerpräsident. This relates better in some way to the above description, as the Singha Beer source image shows no "official state seal".
Flaggenbuch 1939 also shows another similar flag to the Regent's, with a 5:6 ratio, the centred escutcheon alone and no supporters, as Staatsminister (außer Kriegsminister) or "Minister (other than War Minister)".
Santiago Dotor, 20 January 2000
Example shown: Governor of Ayudhya 1912
![[Governor of Ayudhya 1912 (Thailand)]](../images/t/th-ay_gv.gif)
The blue border matches the original source's background and is not part of the flag
from the Singha Beer source
From the Singha Beer source:
The Governor's Flag
The Governor's Flag is a red flag with a white elephant —in full caparison— standing on a raised dais. In the top left-hand corver [sic], there is a white circle, the diameter of which is one fourth of the width of the entire flag. In the middle of the circle stands the city's coat of arms. [Like the Naval Ensign 1891 with city coat-of-arms inside a circle on the canton and a smaller elephant, slightly offset towards the fly.]The flag, which first made an appearance in B.E.2434 [1891 AD], was known as "The White-Elephant-on-a-Platform Flag". The version shown here is the one used in B.E.2455 [1912 AD] by the Governor of Ayudhya during the reign, of King Rama VI. Governor's flag of this type were adopted for only a short period of time before their use was discontinued.
Santiago Dotor, 5 November 1999
Webster's New Geographical Dictionary 1988 has:
Perlis was until 1821 subject to Kedah; made separate state by Siamese 1841; came under British protection by treaty of 1909, in which Siam ceded to Great Britain its right over the state.In Asian Frontiers, Alastair Lamb, 1968, pp. 170-171:
In the first half of the 19th century the Bangkok dynasty considered the entire Malay peninsula to fall within its sphere of influence. In the north this was real enough. (...) In 1943 the Japanese undid the territorial transfer of 1909 and restored Kelantan, Trengganu, Perlis and Kedah to nominal Thai sovereignty. (...) Japan's defeat in 1945 automatically brought the 4 northern Malay states back under British rule. It is not difficult to find Thais who will speak with regret of these lost Malayan territories.
Jarig Bakker, 13 November 1999
Basically these four northern states used to pay annual tribute to Siam, and then Great Britain decided Malaya was properly a British sphere of influence, having held Penang since 1786 and Province Wellesley since 1790 from Kedah for the princely sum of $10,000 (still paid each year by the Federal Government to the Kedah Government), and had to protect its commercial interests in its hinterland in the Malay states. The 1909 treaty of Bangkok allowed Great Britain to have Resident Advisors in the northern states, i.e. for them to become British protectorates.
[As for the regret, I believe] the Thais have enough problems with their southern Muslim minorities who would be more happy in Malaysia.
Andrew Yong, 13 November 1999
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