Political Manipulation of Medieval History?

WIENG KUM KAM, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1 Jun 2003 – Today (20th August 2003) I unintentionally revisited Wieng Kum Kam, specifically that part now named as Wat Phan Lao, and hypothesized as being the AD 1286 palace of King Mengrai.

What I witnessed there has left me extremely disappointed and completely disillusioned regarding current local and national plans to develop the ancient city into anything approaching Sukhothai or Ayutthaya.

Published in Chiang Mai CityLife Magazine – February 2003

A Level Playing Field – Part 2
CHIANG MAI, Thailand – 5 January 2003

Returning to the tourists interviewed at the end of last year, the other half of the survey considered their opinions of what is good about Chiang Mai, what they enjoyed, and any suggestions they have for further improvement of the city’s tourism facilities. The responses in this section of the survey were less clear-cut than in the section about roads and traffic, although some marginal trends were identified.

Overall, this second part of the survey was favourable to Chiangmai.

Tourists have a wide range of activities and places that they enjoy, and any suggestions they gave fell into the, “try to make it better quality” category. Some of these things are being done, as the following “good news” items will demonstrate…

It Becomes Clearer if you dig a little

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – 03 October 2002 - Concerning the article “Don’t know much about history” (Bangkok Post 2nd October) and the comments by Prasat Sa-anwong, deputy director-general of the Curriculum and Instruction Development Department …

One of the key factors for the lack of students pursuing this subject at university level may be the attitude of the Fine Arts Department’s Archaeological Office. I have been told that here in Chiangmai, the government officials at Fine Arts refuse permission for History and Fine Arts undergraduates to assist with archaeological excavations – normally a compulsory activity for such students in western universities.

I have no understanding why such refusals of “free” manpower should be made, but could hazard a guess.