History or patriotic myth? When I first heard of a new book, The Thai History, I thought of nothing but another government effort to build a sense of nationalism among Thais. The 208-page book was written by the Fine Arts Department and launched last Thursday at the National Book Fair.
I admit I was initially biased because this history book project was initiated by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who even signed 120 copies for his "fans" who won the history quizzes at the fair.
Yet, I was wrong. This book is better than I thought. Not because it emphasises the contributions of the Thai kings from the Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Thon Buri periods to the present Rattanakosin era. Not because it looks at both the conflicts and friendship between Thailand and neighbouring countries.
To me, this book is comprehensive, concise and modern. Interestingly, it presents the most available theories about the "birth of Thais".
It even dares to rule out some theories, including the one about our ancestors coming from Sichuan province and the Altai Mountains in China.
There are several other good qualities to this book that I want to mention. Firstly, this book is easy to read and full of colour illustrations. Secondly, it defines what "history" is and briefly tells the reader how "Thai history" has been written. Thirdly, it depicts Thai kings as having great responsibility and needing to work hard, rather than them being divine. Fourthly, it supports the idea that Thailand is a multicultural society in which diverse races and ethnic groups live together. Fifthly, it looks back at prehistoric and historic times when people started farming, raising animals, producing and using bronze and iron tools, having rulers and trading goods with outsiders. Sixthly, it portrays Thai politics in the way it was and is, indicating some major incidents, including periods of dictatorship. Lastly, it provides an illustrated chronology of major incidents in Thai history, as compared with world history.
However, this book does contain a few shortcomings. Firstly, I think it is quite old-fashioned for this book to have so readily focused on certain "kingdoms" in Thai history, especially before "borders" and "city states" came into existence. Secondly, a lot of details about tragedies, chaos and politics are left out and thus paint a rather foggy picture.
For example, this book mentions the fall of the Ayutthaya Kingdom to Burma in 1569 and 1767. It says that Prince Naresuan had been a hostage in Pegu for six years before he declared independence in 1584 and became king in 1590. Moreover, the book confirms that the King won the elephant duel with the Burmese Crown Prince Minye Kyawswa on Jan 18, 1592, in present-day tambon Nong Sarai, Suphan Buri province, by killing the latter with a blow of his sword to the shoulder. However, it does not mention the exchange of Prince Naresuan with his elder sister, Phra Supankalaya, as a hostage in Pegu, or that of the King's personal life.
Interestingly, this book mentions the cause of death of King Taksin the Great, while most mainstream history textbooks dare not. However, it omits the part about the premature passing of King Rama VIII and instead focuses on that king's contributions to Thailand.
Somchai Na Nakhonphanom, the Fine Arts Department's archaeology expert who was an adviser to this history book project, explains that this book is similar to other history books, but portable, concise, comprehensive and well-designed to answer frequently asked questions.
According to him, more than 10 experts who wrote this book were unable to include all of Thai history into such a small book, so they decided to omit sensational or unclear details which would stir up sad feelings. The team chose to provide details of things that happened a very long time ago yet were not so sensational. Another example is the bloodshed uprisings in Thailand; the book does not delve into details about the killings.
One of the authors, Teera Kaewpracha, who wrote the chapters on the Ayutthaya and Thon Buri periods, revealed that this book is based on official historical accounts and mentions only major issues. The book focuses on Thai monarchs' work without providing details of incidents in their reigns, but cites references for readers to find documents for further reading.
He admitted to feeling uncomfortable when writing about the fate of King Taksin the Great. However, he decided to mention a coup which took place when that king was in a state of poor mental health and was later executed, as this was a fact stated by the Rattanakosin Royal Chronicle.
He urged people to admit the truth, which is based on historical evidence and to stop lying to themselves by thinking that the King survived.
He concluded that fighting for power is not always a terrible thing, but it is a way of finding the strongest and fittest person who can protect kingdoms against invasion.
The first batch of 10,000 copies of The Thai History is almost sold out. Another 10,000 copies are being printed and will be distributed to schools and libraries nationwide. Next month, a simpler version for children will be launched.
All in all, the time has come for Thais to know Thai history better, leaving behind painful chapters in the past and learning valuable lessons from them.
Negative perceptions, especially those towards some neighbouring countries, which have long been emphasised in many Thai history books, should become history as well.
Pichaya Svasti is a writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.