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.

What’s Going Wrong at Wieng Kum Kam?
by David Hardcastle & Garry Harbottle-Johnson

WIENG KUM KAM, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1 Jun 2003 – The Ministry of Culture has announced a budget of 40m baht for the “preservation and improvement” of Wieng Kum Kam, the city founded by King Mengrai (prior to Chiang Mai), the ruins of which lay hidden for years just off the Old Lamphun Road.

Since it was officially “found” in 1984 – and began to attract archaeological and visitor interest – it has also become a cause for concern. Unauthorised buildings have encroached on the site, vendors have commercialised many parts of it, and there are concerns that some valuable artefacts have been removed.

Royalty Returns to Wieng Kum Kam
HM Queen Sirikit opens new Visitor’s Centre

WIENG KUM KAM, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 19 Jan 2003 – Almost 700 hundred years after King Mengrai moved from the Royal City he built before Chiangmai, Royalty returned to visit amid celebrations and festivities.

HM Queen Sirikit, the Crown Prince, and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra presided over the closing night of the “Enchanted Wieng Kum Kam” Sound & Light show, which ran from 17th to 19th January, the start of a major promotional push to bring the recovered archaeological park into mainstream tourism.

Easier by Elephant
Big Steps at Wieng Kum Kam

WIENG KUM KAM, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 18 Dec 2002 – Wieng Kum Kam – King Mengrai’s buried city, just 5 km south of Chiangmai, is taking large steps forward into the mainstream of the Thai tourism world – elephant steps that is.

Commencing 1st of January 2003, visitors can take elephant back rides around the ruins and archaeological sites from the pick up point at Wat Kan Thom in the centre of the medieval city.

The tour meanders through the green lanes and excavated temples in the western half of the wieng (fortified city) before returning to the first complete temple built by Lan Na’s uniting king.