About Thai

Introduction | History | Festival | Religion | Monarchy | The Thai Family | Thai Food

Thailand was called Siam until 1939. Unlike other South-East Asian countries, it has never been colonized by foreign powers. Although Thailand has suffered periodic invasions by the Burmese and the Khmer, and was occupied by the Japanese for a very short period during WWII, the kingdom was never externally controlled for long enough to have an impact on its national integrity or identity.

Although the Thai people are often described as fun-loving, they are actually very strong minded and have struggled for centuries to preserve their independence of spirit.

Thailand, like other South-East Asian countries, has been influenced greatly through contact with foreign cultures. But the ever-changing spirit of Thai culture has remained dominant, even in modern times.