Remembering Thai Women in History

For this month’s edition being titled, “Echoes of the Past”, I was encouraged to look into my history to find stories that aren’t told in mainstream media. This is where I found the stories of three women in Thai history that I believe have shaped the country, and its institutions, into what it is today.

Amdaeng Muean

Muean was a young peasant born in 1845 in the Nonthaburi Province of Thailand. Like most Siamese women at the time, she was raised to cook, clean and tend to a man’s every need.

Muean spent every day rejecting these norms and fought for her right to learn in a Buddhist temple with the boys. Here is where she fell in love with a man called Rid. Love and marriage were not viewed as one in the same back then and so, her family decided to sell her off to a richer man named Phu. This was completely against her will and she continuously fought back against this “marriage”; even enduring abuse from both her parents and Phu in an attempt to make her succumb to the arranged marriage. Muean was eventually thrown in jail after fighting back Phu’s legal claims to her.

Fortunately, Rid helped her escape and they fled to Bangkok together so Muean could petition for women’s rights in marital affairs in front of King Mongkut in 1865. The King gave Muean a royal pardon, forced her parents ot pay back her dowry and allowed her to marry the man she loved upon hearing her plea. As a result of Muean’s case, King Mongkut also revised Siamese law to acknowledge women’s right to choose their husbands and the way they want to live their lives. This made the selling of daughters and wives illegal throughout Siam which, still resonates to this very day.

Orapin Chaiyakan

Chaiyakan was a headteacher in her home province of Ubon Ratchathani having returned from studying education in Bangkok. After establishing her own school, Chaiyakan entered into politics. This was finally possible due to the 1932 Siamese Revolution that triggered numerous changes in the kingdom. One of which, was the right for women to participate in politics.

Chaiyakan became a candidate for the Democrat Party of Thailand and was finally elected as a representative for her province in 1949. She was the first woman in Thailand to ever be elected into the House of Parliament.

Princess Dara Rasmi of Lanna and Siam

Known for her contributions towards heritage and culture, Princess Dara Rasmi can be considered of the most significant figures in Thai history.

Born in 1873 in Chiangmai, Lanna (now known as the Northern region of Thailand), she was the daughter of King Inthawichayanon of the Lanna Kingdom. The Princess was fluent in many dialects of the Thai language whilst also remaining proficient in the customs of Lanna and Siam.

In the 1880’s and 90’s, the British had captured Burma and there was fear that they would annex Lanna next. There were also rumours that Queen Victoria had intended to adopt Dara Rasmi should the annexation take place. To prevent this, King Chulalongkorn of Siam sent his brother to propose to the Princess and bring her to the Grand Palace in Bangkok as one of his wives. She agreed to marry him at 13-years-old in hopes of protecting her own kingdom. This resulted in a unification of the Lanna Kingdom and the Siam Kingdom.

Her titled changed to Chao Chom Dara Rasmi of the Chakri Dynasty and was known to embrace and pride herself in her Lanna heritage. She continued to use Lanna textiles for herself and her entourage which, was unfashionable and uncommon for Siamese women at the time. She was constantly looked down on in the royal court for this behaviour but this never made her question her dedication and love for her heritage.

She eventually returned to Chiangmai after the King’s death in 1910 and dedicated her life to helping her people. She is remembered today as a unifying figure between Lanna and Siam; two kingdoms that make Thailand the nation it is today.