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Bookshelf Spotlight: Southeast Asian Wars

Posted on 14 May 2012 by Pahole Sookkasikon

Featured Books

* A War of Frontier and Empire: The Philippine-American War, 1899-1902
* Confrontation: The War with Indonesia 1962 – 1966
* For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question: A Story from Burma’s Never-Ending War
* Hanoi’s War: An International History of the War for Peace in Vietnam (The New Cold War History)
* Thailand’s Secret War: OSS, SOE and the Free Thai Underground During World War II (Cambridge Military Histories)

A War of Frontier and Empire: The Philippine-American War, 1899-1902


by David J. Silbey
Hill and Wang, 2008

It has been termed an insurgency, a revolution, a guerrilla war, and a conventional war. As David J. Silbey demonstrates in this taut, compelling history, the 1899 Philippine-American War was in fact all of these. Played out over three distinct conflicts—one fought between the Spanish and the allied United States and Filipino forces; one fought between the United States and the Philippine Army of Liberation; and one fought between occupying American troops and an insurgent alliance of often divided Filipinos—the war marked America’s first steps as a global power and produced a wealth of lessons learned and forgotten.

First-rate military history, A War of Frontier and Empire retells an often forgotten chapter in America’s past, infusing it with commanding contemporary relevance.

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Confrontation: The War with Indonesia 1962 – 1966


by Nick van der Bijl
Pen and Sword, 2008

For over four years in the ‘Swinging Sixties’ the armed forces of the UK were engaged in a little publicized but crucial jungle war against communist aggressive on the vast island of Borneo.
At any one time up to 50,000 troops (half of the Army’s strength today) were deployed along a 1,000 mile front. Their enemy were the communist led Indonesians whose leaders were determined to seize the states of Sarawak, Sabah and the oil rich Brunei, all of whom for their part wished to maintain their Commonwealth links. The catalyst for the war was the 1962 uprising in Brunei which was quickly crushed by the bold intervention of British army units.

The arrival of Major General Walter Walker, himself a controversial figure, gave the subsequent campaign a clear direction. Indonesian incursions were rigorously defended and ruthlessly pursued. Top Secret ‘Claret’ operations took the fight to the enemy with cross border operations initially using Special Forces and later with Chindit-style long range patrols. The outcome was a text book military victory thus avoiding a British ‘Vietnam’ debacle.

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For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question: A Story from Burma’s Never-Ending War


by Mac McClelland
Soft Skull Press, 2010

There are bad things going on in Burma that you don’t know about. There’s a civil war (the world’s longest running, in fact) raging between the government and ethnic rebels. Much of the United States’ heroin comes from there. And there’s the small matter that America helped make it all possible with overt funding and the CIA’s very first secret war. Of course, you wouldn’t know any of this, because Burma is a country nearly shut out from the rest of the world, with the only footage of the carnage coming via groups of young, tough, booze-loving refugees who run into war zones to collect it. And with these refugees is where we find Mac McClelland embedded in her staggering debut, For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question. McClelland weaves a narrative that is part investigative journalism, part popular history, and part memoir of a Midwestern, twentysomething girl living with refugee activists on the Burma-Thailand border. Driven by the community McClelland is illegally aiding—a small group of brave young men and women—For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question is an urgent and fascinating look at a weary conflict, told by a bright, new voice.

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Hanoi’s War: An International History of the War for Peace in Vietnam (The New Cold War History)


by Lien-Hang T. Nguyen
The University of North Carolina Press, 2012

While most historians of the Vietnam War focus on the origins of U.S. involvement and the Americanization of the conflict, Lien-Hang T. Nguyen examines the international context in which North Vietnamese leaders pursued the war and American intervention ended. This riveting narrative takes the reader from the marshy swamps of the Mekong Delta to the bomb-saturated Red River Delta, from the corridors of power in Hanoi and Saigon to the Nixon White House, and from the peace negotiations in Paris to high-level meetings in Beijing and Moscow, all to reveal that peace never had a chance in Vietnam.

Hanoi’s War renders transparent the internal workings of America’s most elusive enemy during the Cold War and shows that the war fought during the peace negotiations was bloodier and much more wide ranging than it had been previously. Using never-before-seen archival materials from the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as materials from other archives around the world, Nguyen explores the politics of war-making and peace-making not only from the North Vietnamese perspective but also from that of South Vietnam, the Soviet Union, China, and the United States, presenting a uniquely international portrait.

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Thailand’s Secret War: OSS, SOE and the Free Thai Underground During World War II (Cambridge Military Histories)


by E. Bruce Reynolds
Cambridge University Press, 2010

Despite its 1941 alliance with Japan, Thai leaders managed to establish clandestine relations with China, Britain and the United States, each of which had ambitions for postwar influence in Bangkok. Based largely on recently declassified intelligence records, this narrative history thoroughly explores these relations, details Allied secret operations and sheds new light on the intense rivalry between the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

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Bookshelf Spotlight: Ancient Kingdoms & Empires of Southeast Asia

Posted on 07 May 2012 by Pahole Sookkasikon

Featured Books

* Angkor and the Khmer Civilization (Ancient Peoples and Places)
* Ayutthaya- Venice of the East
* Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake
* The Cham of Vietnam: History, Society and Art
* The Kingdoms of Laos

Angkor and the Khmer Civilization (Ancient Peoples and Places)


by Michael D. Coe
Thames & Hudson, 2005

The ancient city of Angkor has fascinated Westerners since its rediscovery in the mid-nineteenth century.

A great deal is now known about the brilliant Khmer civilization that flourished among the monsoon forests and rice paddies of mainland Southeast Asia, thanks to the pioneering work of French scholars and the application of modern archaeological techniques such as remote sensing from the space shuttle.

The classic-period Khmer kings ruled over their part-Hindu and part-Buddhist empire from AD 802 for more than five centuries. This period saw the construction of many architectural masterpieces, including the huge capital city of Angkor, with the awe-inspiring Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious structure. Numerous other provincial centers, bound together by an impressive imperial road system, were scattered across the Cambodian Plain, northeast Thailand, southern Laos, and the Delta of southern Vietnam. Khmer civilization by no means disappeared with the gradual abandonment of Angkor that began in the fourteenth century, and the book’s final chapter describes the conversion of the Khmer to a different kind of Buddhism, the move of the capital downriver to the Phnom Penh area, and the reorientation of the Khmer state to maritime trade.

Angkor and the Khmer Civilization presents a concise but complete picture of Khmer cultural history from the Stone Age until the establishment of the French Protectorate in 1863, and is lavishly illustrated with maps, plans, drawings, and photographs. Drawing on the latest archaeological research, Michael D. Coe brings to life Angkor’s extraordinary society and culture.

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Ayutthaya- Venice of the East>


by Derick Garnier
River Books Press Dist A C, 2006

Between 1351 and 1767 AD, Ayutthaya, capital of Siam was one of the most important trading centres in Southeast Asia, renowned throughout the world for its wealth and beauty. Derick Garnier traces the history of Thailand’s 400 year capital in a scholarly yet engaging text.

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Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake


by Mr Ashley South
Routledge, 2003

A major contribution to the literature of Burmese history and politics, this book traces the rich and tragic history of the Mon people of Burma and Thailand, from the pre-colonial era to the present day. This vivid account of ethnic politics and civil war situates the story of Mon nationalism within the ‘big picture’ of developments in Burma, Thailand and the region. Primarily an empirical study, it also addresses issues of identity and anticipates Burmese politics in the new millennium. A particular feature of the book is its first-hand descriptions of insurgency and displacement, drawn from the author’s experiences as an aid worker in the war zone.

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The Cham of Vietnam: History, Society and Art


edited by Tran Ky Phuong & Bruce M. Lockhart
University of Hawaii Press, 2010

The Cham people once inhabited and ruled over a large stretch of what is now the central Vietnamese coast. Their Indianized civilization flourished for centuries, and they competed with the Vietnamese and Khmers for influence in mainland Southeast Asia. This book brings together essays on the Cham by specialists in history, archaeology, anthropology, art history, and linguistics. It presents a revisionist overview of Cham history and a detailed study of the various ways in which the Cham have been studied by different generations of scholars, as well as chapters on specific aspects of the Cham past. Several authors focus on archaeological work in central Vietnam that positions recent discoveries within the broader framework of Cham history. The authors synthesize work by scholars during the French colonial period and after who discuss what ‘Champa’ has represented over the centuries of its history. The book’s new perspectives on the Cham provide penetrating insights into the history of Vietnam that shed light on the broader dynamic of Southeast Asian history.

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The Kingdoms of Laos>


by Sanda Simms
Routledge Books, 2001

Describes the changes in society over 600 years as Lan Xang was gradually dismembered and became a French colony. Most importantly, it shows the essence of the Lao and why, despite all that has happened, they possess their own social and cultural values that mark them as distinctive.

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Photography: Serious Eats – Street Food in Bangkok

Posted on 02 May 2012 by Pahole Sookkasikon

Here’s a bold statement: Bangkok is the greatest eating city in the world. It’s the only place I can think of where you can spend a month just wandering the streets, eating every single thing that tickles your fancy, three meals a day (with snacks in between), and never try the same thing twice. And to top it all off, you can do it all for under $5 a day.

From hawkers selling omelets over makeshift burners in a single, beat-up wok to the crowds of locals and tourists hankering for fried meat and soups at Chatuchak market, from the banana pancake-studded hippie paradise of Khao Sarn Road (it’s like the Times Square of Bangkok—you’d be hard pressed to find a single Thai person there) to the full-on madness of the Patpong Night Market and its rows of food stalls, an awesome meal is never far away.

I haven’t spent a great deal of time in Thailand in relative terms, but I can say one thing: outside of one bad experience in a shopping mall, I did not eat a single thing that didn’t completely blow me away with its vibrant flavor. (I can’t wait to get back.)

Text taken from Snapshots from Thailand: Street Food in Bangkok
Photography by J. Kenji López-Alt

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Bookshelf Spotlight: History, Culture & Art of Ancient Southeast Asia

Posted on 23 April 2012 by Pahole Sookkasikon

Featured Books

* A History of Myanmar Since Ancient Times: Traditions and Transformations
* A Thousand Years of Philippine History before the coming of the Spaniards
* Ancient Vietnam: History and Archaeology
* The Indonesia Reader: History, Culture, Politics (The World Readers)
* Thailand: The Golden Kingdom

A History of Myanmar Since Ancient Times: Traditions and Transformations


by Michael Aung-Thwin
Reaktion Books, 2012

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar is often characterized as a place of repressive military rule, civil war, censorship, and corrupt elections—and despite recent attempts to promote tourism to see the country’s natural beauty, it is not yet a travel hotspot. Most of the Western world remains unaware of the storied history and rich culture found in this Southeast Asian country.In A History of Myanmar since Ancient Times, Michael Aung-Thwin and Maitrii Aung-Thwin take us from the sacred stupas (structures containing Buddhist relics) of the plains of Bagan to the grand, colonial-era British mansions, finding the splendor that remains in this forgotten country. They delve into Myanmar’s nearly three-thousand-year history, discovering the first traces of civilization that appeared during the Stone Age, witnessing the protests of Buddhist monks during the early twentieth century, and describing the colonial era of British rule and the republic that followed. This book also considers the state of Myanmar today, examining the 2010 elections—the first in over twenty years—and exploring the lives, culture, and ambitions of the Burmese people. The most comprehensive history of Myanmar ever published in the English language, this book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Southeast Asia.

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A Thousand Years of Philippine History before the coming of the Spaniards


by Austin Craig
Nabu Press, 2010

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

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Ancient Vietnam: History and Archaeology


by Anne-Valerie Schweyer
River Books Press Dist A C, 2012

The history of Vietnam is one of spectacular confrontations, both cultural and ideological between the world of the Chinese – a world adopted by the ethnic Viet living in the Red river basin – and the Indian world – facets of which are seen in the Cham, whose numerous small kingdoms were strung out all along the coast from north of Hue to south of Phan Rang.

The first part of this book presents a comprehensive history of Vietnam from the 6th to 15th centuries, highlighting the clashes between the two major civilisations which are the foundation of modern Vietnam.

The second part takes the reader on a tour of over 60 archaeological sites which are a testament to this history. Maps, plans and numerous photographs will help us to experience the history of ancient Vietnam both in its early beginnings and its subsequent evolution.

French scholar Anne-Valérie Schweyer is an acknowledged expert in Cham history and has contributed to many books and journals.

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The Indonesia Reader: History, Culture, Politics (The World Readers)


edited by Tineke Hellwig and Eric Tagliacozzo
Duke University Press Books, 2009

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, encompassing nearly eighteen thousand islands. The fourth-most populous nation in the world, it has a larger Muslim population than any other. The Indonesia Reader is a unique introduction to this extraordinary country. Assembled for the traveler, student, and expert alike, the Reader includes more than 150 selections: journalists’ articles, explorers’ chronicles, photographs, poetry, stories, cartoons, drawings, letters, speeches, and more. Many pieces are by Indonesians; some are translated into English for the first time. All have introductions by the volume’s editors. Well-known figures such as Indonesia’s acclaimed novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer and the American anthropologist Clifford Geertz are featured alongside other artists and scholars, as well as politicians, revolutionaries, colonists, scientists, and activists.
Organized chronologically, the volume addresses early Indonesian civilizations; contact with traders from India, China, and the Arab Middle East; and the European colonization of Indonesia, which culminated in centuries of Dutch rule. Selections offer insight into Japan’s occupation (1942–45), the establishment of an independent Indonesia, and the post-independence era, from Sukarno’s presidency (1945–67), through Suharto’s dictatorial regime (1967–98), to the present Reformasi period. Themes of resistance and activism recur: in a book excerpt decrying the exploitation of Java’s natural wealth by the Dutch; in the writing of Raden Ajeng Kartini (1879–1904), a Javanese princess considered the icon of Indonesian feminism; in a 1978 statement from East Timor objecting to annexation by Indonesia; and in an essay by the founder of Indonesia’s first gay activist group. From fifth-century Sanskrit inscriptions in stone to selections related to the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 tsunami, The Indonesia Reader conveys the long history and the cultural, ethnic, and ecological diversity of this far-flung archipelago nation.

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Thailand: The Golden Kingdom


by William Warren et al & Luca Invernizzi Tettoni
Periplus Editions, 1999

From the beaches of the south to the mountains of the north, Thailand is a beautiful and diverse land. ‘Thailand – The Golden Kingdom’ encapsulates Thai history, culture, and art in one compact volume. It gives an endearing portrait of Thailand’s multi-ethnic population, the people’s beliefs and ways of life and sets it in an historical and cultural context. Over 140 color photographs illustrate the clear text about all aspects of one of Asia’s most fascinating places.

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Film Series: The Pleasure Factory

Posted on 23 April 2012 by Pahole Sookkasikon

2012 CSEAS Film Series: The Pleasure Factory
2007
Chinese [Thailand]

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 6:30 PM
Korean Studies Auditorium

Director Ekachai Uekrongtham
Starring: Kuei-Mei Yang, Ananda Everingham, & Zihan Loo

The sophomore feature film from the Beautiful Boxer director, Pleasure Factory has an ensemble cast that includes Ananda Everingham and Taiwanese actress Yang Kuei-mei and a bunch of newcomers, many whom were recruited off the street. Sometimes mysterious, sometimes heartbreaking, the film follows three loosely intertwining storylines: A girl going to meet an older prostitute (Yang), and being followed by a mysterious young man (Ananda); a guy taking his virgin army buddy around to the brothels; and a woman in a red dress buying a song from a busker. Lit by Brian Gothon Tan, Geylang never looked so good. [Synopsis by Wise Kwai]

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Bookshelf Spotlight: Southeast Asian Martial Arts

Posted on 18 April 2012 by Pahole Sookkasikon

Featured Books

* Arnis: History and Development of the Filipino Martial Arts
* Muay Thai Boran: The Martial Art of Thailand
* Pencak Silat:Through My Eyes: Indonesian Martial Arts
* Pradal Serey
* Traditional Burmese Boxing: Ancient and Modern Methods from Burma’s Training Camp

Arnis: History and Development of the Filipino Martial Arts


by Mark V. Wiley
Tuttle Publishing, 2001

The Filipino martial tradition, its history, cultural perspective and technique, makes for a rich and fascinating story. This is the first book to delve deeply into that legacy, examining the different schools of arnis and contributions made by leading arnisadores through history. This book examines training regimens, fighting techniques and innovations, and provides an exhaustive bibliography of all the books ever written on the subject. With 125 remarkable photographs, Mark Wiley’s groundbreaking study of arnis stands as an important source book for all serious practitioners of unarmed Filipino martial arts — as well as any serious student of martial arts as it is practiced worldwide.

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Muay Thai Boran: The Martial Art of Thailand


by Arjan Marco De Cesaris
Budo International, 2005

This book is the fruit of 27 years of study and research into one of the most beautiful cultural heritages that come to us from the ancient Siamese Kingdom, now called Thailand. The Martial Art of that distant country is mostly known in the world as sportive combat, which reminds everyone of a free version of Boxing. Although it is not developed for the ring, Muay Boran continues to incorporate the basic sports principles of Muay Thai. It maintains the efficiency demonstrated by Thai boxers in the Thai Boxing, Kickboxing, Boxing and No Holds Barred ring throughout the world. Outstanding champions of Vale Tudo have come from the world of Muay Thai. In Muay Thai Boran (or Traditional Thai boxing) combines an explosive mixture of ancient techniques practiced for centuries by Thai warriors with modern training methods all entirely brought up to date so that they meet the needs of the practitioner of the new millennium.

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Pencak Silat:Through My Eyes: Indonesian Martial Arts


by Herman Suwanda, Jose Fraguas
Empire Books, 2006

Complete presentation of the principles & applications of one of the most effective martial arts styles, by one of the most sought-after Silat masters of all time, the late Herman Suwanda. Explores the art & science of this Indonesian combat method, looking at tactical elements of timing, distance, rhythm, cadence & tempo.

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Pradal Serey


by Ronald Cohn Jesse Russell
VSD, 2012

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Pradal serey is an unarmed martial art from Cambodia. In Khmer the word pradal means fighting or boxing and serey means free. Originally used for warfare, pradal serey is now one of Cambodia’s national sports. Its moves have been slightly altered to comply with the modern rules. This book was created using print-on-demand technology.

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Traditional Burmese Boxing: Ancient and Modern Methods from Burma’s Training Camp


by Zoran Rebac
Paladin Press, 2003

There’s a reason the word “brutal” is so often used to describe traditional Burmese boxing. This art – martial in the true sense of the word – has retained its merciless edge even as so many other disciplines have been watered down into mere sport. Through rare photographs and firsthand reports, author Zoran Rebac takes you into a world few Westerners have seen. When Rebac first traveled to Asia in the 1980s, he was a rarity himself – a foreigner determined to learn the legendary martial traditions of the Burmese and Thai fighters. His keen interest and discipline quickly earned their respect and gained him access to training methods used by the best fighters in Asia. In this book, you’ll learn traditional Burmese boxing techniques from the basic stances, kicks and strikes through advanced “experts only” moves, experience the rich pageantry of the tournaments and be introduced to the grueling training exercises practiced in ancient times and the modern methods used by fighters today. Traditional Burmese Boxing is an invaluable guide to the fascinating world of the Burmese boxer.

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Music: Potato โปเตโต้ (Thailand)

Posted on 21 March 2012 by Ronald Gilliam

Potato (Thai: โปเตโต้) is a Thai rock band. The band won numerous awards for their popularity in Thailand. They released their fourth album, Sense, in 2007, and their fifth, Circle, in 2008. Their latest album is Human, which was released in 2011.

Potato was formed by Peechanit Oan-Aari (Pee), Nantakrai Cham-Jaiharn (Note), Oranuch Tangdechavut (Nuch), and Suwatin Watthanawitukun (Bom). Potato’s original vocalist was Peechanit Oan-Aari (Pee) but he died on October 3, 2002. This led to the dissolving of the band, but Potato soon reunited in 2003. As of 2008, Potato has a new drummer named Kan Uamsupan (Kan) instead of Suwatin Watthanawitukun (Bom), who left the group after the recording of the “Sense” album but still makes occasional live appearances with the band. Potato’s current lineup includes Patchai “Pup” Pukdesusook (vocals), Piywawat “Ohm” Anukul (bass), and Kan Uamsupan (drums). The band’s last guitarist, Rattanapon “Win” Keng-Rean, left Potato in 2010 and a number of guitarists from other bands having substituted for him since. -wikipedia

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Film Series: Hormones

Posted on 05 March 2012 by Leon Potter

Wednesday, March 07, 2012 @ 6:30 PM
Korean Studies Auditorium

Director: Songyos Sugmakanan
Cast: Charlie Trairat, Sirachuch Chienthaworn, Ungsumalynn Sirapatsakmetha, Ratchu Surachalas, Chutima Teepanat, Focus Jirakul, Lu Ting Wei, Chantawit Thanasewee, Thaniya Ummaritchoti, and Sora Aoi

This film follows a group of high school and university students during their school breaks and the interplay about the relationships they develop or don’t.

There are four threads to follow in this film. 1) Pu (Charlie Trairat, Dorm, 2006) and Mai (Sirachuch Chienthaworn) are best friends and fall for the same girl, Nana (Ungsumalynn Sirapatsakmetha, Bangkok Traffic Love Story, 2009); 2) class geek Jo (Ratchu Surachalas, Seasons Change, 2006) is in love with a popular girl C (Chutima Teepanat, Seasons Change, 2006; Dear Galileo, 2009); 3) Oh Lek (Focus Jirakul) is wild about Taiwanese pop sensation Didi (Lu Ting Wei), 4) and Hern (Chantawit Thanasewee, Hello Stranger, 2010; ATM, 2012) is thinking of cheating on his girlfriend Nuan (Thaniya Ummaritchoti) when he meets Japanese tourist Aoi (Sora Aoi, AV model and actress).

Director Sugmakanan admits that he was inspired by the style and format of the British romantic comedy Love Actually 2003, but he points out that relationships in Asian culture are not comparable to those in Western culture. The film saw national release in 163 theaters and earned an unprecedented (for GTH films) 10 million baht on its first day, totaling 34.1 million baht in its opening weekend. It earned a total of 80 million baht in the box office and was the third-largest grossing Thai film in 2008.

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Bookshelf Spotlight: Anna Leonowens, Siam, and “The King & I”

Posted on 31 January 2012 by Pahole Sookkasikon

Featured University Of Hawai’i Press Publishing

* Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation

Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation


by Thongchai Winichakul
University Of Hawai’i Press, 1994

This unusual and intriguing study of nationhood explores the 19th-century confrontation of ideas that transformed the kingdom of Siam into the modern conception of a nation. Siam Mapped challenges much that has been written on Thai history because it demonstrates convincingly that the physical and political definition of Thailand on which other works are based is anachronistic.

University Of Hawai’i Press | Goodreads | Amazon | Google Books

Featured Books

* The English Governess At The Siamese Court
* Anna and the King of Siam
* Romance of the Harem
* Bombay Anna: The Real Story and Remarkable Adventures of the King and I Governess
* Mongkut the King of Siam

The English Governess At The Siamese Court


by Anna Leonowens
Oxford University Press, USA; 1st edition (March 17, 1989), Originally published in 1870

The English Governess at the Siamese Court: Being Recollections of Six Years in the Royal Palace at Bangkok (1870) vividly recounts the experiences of one Anna Harriette Leonowens as governess for the sixty-plus children of King Mongkut of Siam, English teacher for his entire royal family, and translator and scribe for the King himself. Bright, young, and energetic, Leonowens was well-suited to these roles, and her writings convey a heartfelt interest in the lives, legends, and languages of Siam’s rich and poor. She also tells of how she and the King often disagreed on matters domestic. After all, this was the first time King Mongkut had met a woman who dared to contradict him, and the governess found the very idea of male domination intolerable. Overworked and underpaid, Leonowens would eventually resign, but her exchanges with His Majesty–heated and otherwise–on topics like grammar, charity, slavery, politics, and religion add much to her diary’s rich, cross-cultural spirit, its East-meets-West appeal.

Over the years, that appeal has only increased. Eighty years after it first appeared, this memoir inspired the popular book and film, Anna and the King of Siam, and a few years later the hit musical, The King and I. Now comes yet another version, Anna and the King, the new film starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun Fat. Here, then, is the original tale, presented with many reproductions of the fine drawings that the King had offered as gifts to Leonowens. The English Governess at the Siamese Court remains engaging as a story of adventure, fascinating as a picture of nineteenth-century Bangkok, and intriguing as an account of life inside King Mongkut’s palace.

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Anna and the King of Siam


by Margaret Landon
Harper Paperbacks, 1999; Originally published in 1944

Anna Leonowens, a proper Englishwoman, was an unlikley candidate to change the course of Siamese (Thai) history. A young widow and mother, her services were engaged in the 1860′s by King Mongkut of Siam to help him communicate with foreign governments and be the tutor to his children and favored concubines. Stepping off the steamer from London, Anna found herself in an exotic land she could have only dreamed of lush landscape of mystic faiths and curious people, and king’s palace bustling with royal pageantry, ancient custom, and harems. One of her pupils, the young prince Chulalongkorn, was particularly influenced by Leonowens and her Western ideals. He learned about Abraham Lincoln and the tenets of democracy from her, and years later he would become Siam’s most progressive king. He guided the country’s transformation from a feudal state to a modern society, abolshing slavery and making many other radical reforms.

Weaving meticulously researched facts with beautifully imagined scenes, Margret Landon recreates an unforgettable portrait of life in a forgotten extotic land. Written more than fifty years ago, and translated into dozens of languages, ” Anna and the King of Siam “(the inspiration for the magical play and film “The King and I”)continues to delight and enchant readers around the world.

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Romance of the Harem


by Anna Leonowens
University of Virginia Press, 1991; Originally published in 1873

The author is Anna Leonowens, the lovely English governess to the children of the King of Siam whose story is immortalized, highly romanticized in the Rogers & Hammerstein musical “The King and I” (1951). “Truth is often stranger than fiction,” writes Leonowens. Fiction based on fact, embellished to fascinate the reader and get the point across, is perhaps a more precise description of all the gruesome torture and persecutions of the ladies of the harem by the King who was a Buddhist monk and abbot for 26 years before ascending to the throne.

King Mongkut’s harem was so immense it encompassed an enormous complex within the Grand Palace in Bangkok called the Nang Harm (“Veiled Women”), surrounded by a high wall, housing the royal princesses, wives, and concubines of the king. It was a world of its own, complete with Amazon-women guards, prisons, judges and executioners, but also schools and theaters. Here the women carried out their connubial duty to produce the king’s heirs. When King Mongkut died he left behind 66 royal children.

After five years, Anna Leonowens left, traveling to England and Ireland before settling in the United States and eventually Canada, where she once again supported herself by teaching.

University of Washington Press | Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon

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Bombay Anna: The Real Story and Remarkable Adventures of the King and I Governess


by Susan Morgan
University of California Press, 2008

If you thought you knew the story of Anna in The King and I, think again. As this riveting biography shows, the real life of Anna Leonowens was far more fascinating than the beloved story of the Victorian governess who went to work for the King of Siam. To write this definitive account, Susan Morgan traveled around the globe and discovered new information that has eluded researchers for years. Anna was born a poor, mixed-race army brat in India, and what followed is an extraordinary nineteenth-century story of savvy self-invention, wild adventure, and far-reaching influence. At a time when most women stayed at home, Anna Leonowens traveled all over the world, witnessed some of the most fascinating events of the Age of Empire, and became a well-known travel writer, journalist, teacher, and lecturer. She remains the one and only foreigner to have spent significant time inside the royal harem of Siam. She emigrated to the United States, crossed all of Russia on her own just before the revolution, and moved to Canada, where she publicly defended the rights of women and the working class. The book also gives an engrossing account of how and why Anna became an icon of American culture in The King and I and its many adaptations.

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Mongkut the King of Siam


by Abbot Low Moffat
Cornell University Press; 1st Cornell Printing edition (1968)

In this fascinating biography, Moffat considers Mongkut to be one of the great men of Siam, and seeks to recover him from the well-loved fictions. Includes a number of black-and-white illustrations. He is skeptical of the reliability of Anna Leonowns accounts and analyzes some of them.

Must reading for the fans of Margaret Landon and the stage play / movies and people with an interest in Asian history.

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Bookshelf Spotlight: Thailand, Lèse-Majesté, and Her Monarchy

Posted on 25 January 2012 by Pahole Sookkasikon

Featured University Of Hawai’i Press Publishing

* Saying the Unsayable: Monarchy and Democracy in Thailand

Saying the Unsayable: Monarchy and Democracy in Thailand


ed. Soren Ivarsson, & Lotte Isager
University Of Hawai’i Press, 2010

The Thai monarchy today is usually presented as both guardian of tradition and the institution to bring modernity and progress to the Thai people. It is moreover seen as protector of the nation. Scrutinizing that image, this volume reviews the fascinating history of the modern monarchy. It also analyses important cultural, historical, political, religious, and legal forces shaping the popular image of the monarchy and, in particular, of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. In this manner, the book offers valuable insights into the relationships between monarchy, religion and democracy in Thailand – topics that, after the September 2006 coup d’état, gained renewed national and international interest.

University Of Hawai’i Press | Goodreads | Amazon | Google Books

Featured Books

* Lords of Things: The Fashioning of the Siamese Monarchy’s Modern Image
* Monarchy in South East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition
* Nai Luang Beloved King of Thailand: A History of the Chakri Dynasty
* The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej
* Truth on Trial in Thailand: Defamation, Treason, and Lèse-Majesté

Lords of Things: The Fashioning of the Siamese Monarchy’s Modern Image


by Maurizio Peleggi
University Of Hawai’i Press, 2002

Lords of Things offers an intriguing interpretation of modernity in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Siam by focusing on the novel material possessions and social practices adopted by the royal elite to refashion its self and public image in the early stages of globalization. It examines the westernized modes of consumption and self-presentation, the residential and representational architecture, and the public spectacles appropriated by the Bangkok court not as byproducts of institutional reformation initiated by modernizing sovereigns, but as practices and objects constitutive of the very identity of the royalty as a civilized and civilizing class.

Bringing a wealth of new source material into a theoretically informed discussion, Lords of Things will be required reading for historians of Thailand and Southeast Asia scholars generally. It represents a welcome change from previous studies of Siamese modernization that are almost exclusively concerned with the institutional and economic dimensions of the process or with foreign relations, and will appeal greatly to those interested in transnational cultural flows, the culture of colonialism, the invention of tradition, and the relationship between consumption and identity formation in the modern era.

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Monarchy in South East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition


by Roger Kershaw
Routledge, 2000

This title is the first study to relate the history and contemporary role of the South East Asian monarchy to the politics of the region today. Comprehensive & up-to-date, Monarchy in South East Asia features an historical and political overview of Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, as well as the region in general. The excellent coverage of this fascinating subject should be of interest to general reader as well as to specialists focusing on region.

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Nai Luang Beloved King of Thailand: A History of the Chakri Dynasty


by Tenzin Dawa
ThaiSunset Publications, 2011

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is divinely revered by Thais. Still, during His Majesty’s long reign of 65 years [as of 2011], the King has seen over 15 military coups, 16 constitutions, and 28 changes of prime ministers. The King has also used his influence to stop military coups, among others, including attempts in 1981 and 1985.

It has often been said that the independence and integrity of Thailand is assured by three unifying factors: its people’s carefree disposition, the tolerant Buddhist Religion, and the Thai Throne. For seven centuries Thailand has successfully survived as an independent country while countries all around in Southeast Asia disintegrated or fell victim of colonialist powers. For that reason, no Thai would now deny that as these unique and sacred institutions survive and flourish, so the Thai nation will also survive and flourish. Without either one of them, no one could foresee what Thailand would be like

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Queen Sirikit, and the Heir-apparent are legally considered “inviolable” and criticism can result in three to fifteen years imprisonment; although the King said in his 2005 birthday speech that he would not be offended by lèse majesté, since “the King is human.”

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The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej


by Paul M. Handley
Yale University Press, 2006

Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej, the only king ever born in the United States, came to the throne of his country in 1946 and is now the world’s longest-serving monarch. The King Never Smiles, the first independent biography of Thailand’s monarch, tells the unexpected story of Bhumibol’s life and sixty-year rule—how a Western-raised boy came to be seen by his people as a living Buddha, and how a king widely seen as beneficent and apolitical could in fact be so deeply political and autocratic.

Paul Handley provides an extensively researched, factual account of the king’s youth and personal development, ascent to the throne, skillful political maneuverings, and attempt to shape Thailand as a Buddhist kingdom. Handley takes full note of Bhumibol’s achievements in art, in sports and jazz, and he credits the king’s lifelong dedication to rural development and the livelihoods of his poorest subjects. But, looking beyond the widely accepted image of the king as egalitarian and virtuous, Handley portrays an anti-democratic monarch who, together with allies in big business and the corrupt Thai military, has protected a centuries-old, barely modified feudal dynasty.

When at nineteen Bhumibol assumed the throne, the Thai monarchy had been stripped of power and prestige. Over the ensuing decades, Bhumibol became the paramount political actor in the kingdom, silencing critics while winning the hearts and minds of his people. The book details this process and depicts Thailand’s unique constitutional monarch—his life, his thinking, and his ruling philosophy.

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Truth on Trial in Thailand: Defamation, Treason, and Lèse-Majesté


by David Streckfuss
Routledge, 2011

Since 2005, Thailand has been in crisis, with unprecedented political instability and the worst political violence seen in the country in decades. In the aftermath of a military coup in 2006, Thailand’s press freedom ranking plunged, while arrests for lèse-majesté have skyrocketed to levels unknown in the modern world. Truth on Trial in Thailand traces the 110-year trajectory of defamation-based laws in Thailand. The most prominent of these is lèse-majesté, but defamation aspects also appear in laws on sedition and treason, the press and cinema, anti-communism, contempt of court, insulting of religion, as well as libel. This book makes the case that despite the appearance of growing democratization, authoritarian structures and urges still drive politics in Thailand; the long-term effects of defamation law adjudication has skewed the way that Thai society approaches and perceives “truth.”

Employing the work of Habermas, Foucault, Agamben, and Schmitt to construct an alternative framework to understand Thai history, Streckfuss contends that Thai history has become “suspended” since 1958, and repeatedly declining to face the truth of history has set the stage for an endless state of crisis.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars of South East Asian politics, Asian history, and media and communication.

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