51. Now, most folk know that the movie about King Mongkut, ‘The King and I’ is banned in Thailand. In 1985 however, HM The King and Queen went to see ‘The King and I’ on Broadway! (Stephen)
52. In November 2005, during an official trip to India, HRH Princess Sirindhorn was denied entry to a famous Hindu temple in Bhubaneshwar in Eastern India because she was a foreigner and a Buddhist! (Stephen)
53. The Mien are the only hill tribe to have a written language.
54. The most expensive Buddhist Amulets are ‘Somdej Wat Rakhang’. Some of them, around 150 years old, are valued at more than 30 million baht.
55. Thailand sent a 1300 strong expeditionary force to France in 1918.This act gave Siam a seat at the Versailles Peace Conference which was used as a platform to regain its full sovereignty in the 1920′s- including the right to impose its own laws on foreigners and set import tariffs.
56. Former actress Jim Sara, is Thailand’s very first ladyboy that is officially registered as ‘Miss’ in Thailand. But she is also the very first Thai ladyboy to ever get legally married – in New Zealand. Read her story here
57. The Marxist historian, author and finally Communist – Jit Poomisak, was the first person to refuse to attend his graduation ceremony to receive his degree from HM The King.
58. The Thai Royal Anthem (Sansoen Phra Barami) was composed by a Russian, Pyotr Schurovsky. Prior to the 1932 revolution, it was the Thai National Anthem.
59. Queen Sunandha, First Consort to King Rama V (and a daughter of King Mongkut!) was killed in a tragic boat accident on the Chao Phraya River. It is said that no-one dared rescue her while she was drowning, as it was strictly prohibited that no commoner touch such a high-ranking royal! King Rama V was supposed to have been terribly upset that no-one rescued her and ordered in a new regulation that allowed commoners to touch a high-ranking royal in times of such incidents!
60. Thailand’s Loy Krathong (in its present form) is not what it is taught, an ancient festival originating during the Sukhothai era, 700 years ago. It is in fact, a newly invented tradition, made up by the Department of Fine Arts at the end of the 19th century.
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Read more 100 Things You Didn’t Know about Thailand at ThailandQA Forums.
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