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Friday, May 3, 2024

Westerners leave mark on Ayutthaya

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai looks at samurai armour at a museum in the Japanese settlement in Ayutthaya. Deer skin was among export goods used as a cushion in samurai armour.

Westerners were prominent in Ayutthaya, the former capital of the kingdom of Siam, in centuries past. They left historical records, architecture, language and cultural links of their contact with Iudea, as it was known at the time. Today they help us understand the area’s history and Thailand’s policies on international relations.

“Ayutthaya is a multicultural society but there were clear conditions in the use of land. Churches could be set up but permission was needed, trading was allowed but had to be done via a system under the Treasury Department,” said Assoc Prof Predee…

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