Thailand’s National Flag
The national flag of Thailand is a distinctive symbol of the Thai Psyche.
Name: | “Thong Trai-ranga” (pronounced Thong Trai Rong) [Thai: ธงไตรรงค์, translation “Tricolour Flag”] |
Graphical Design: | Five horizontal stripes of red, white, blue, white and red where the middle blue stripe is twice as wide as the others |
Proportion: | 9 (broad) by 6 (tall) |
Designed by: | Phra Mongkut Khlao Chao Yu Hua (King Rama VI) [Also known as “King Vajiravudh”, reigned 1910-1917] |
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Symbolism: | Allegiance to Thailand’s three fundamental and most revered institutions:
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Adopted: | 28 September 1917 (standardised on 30 September 2017) |
Uses: | National flag, civil and state ensign |
SYMBOLISM
NATION:
Sovereignty: Thailand’s Constitution (the current 2017 and preceding versions) begins with the following statements:
- Thailand is one and indivisible Kingdom. [Chapter 1, Section 1]
- Thailand adopts a democratic regime of government with the King as Head of State. [Chapter 1, Section 2]
- Sovereign power belongs to the Thai people. The King, as Head of State, shall exercise such power through the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers and the Courts in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution . . . [Chapter 1, Section 3]
Most importantly, the Thai populace is deeply proud of the fact that Thailand was never under the dominion of any Western colonial powers.
Harmony: It should be fair to say that Thailand has enjoyed relative peace and harmony for over two centuries and continues to do so. Domestic social tensions (racial, religious, gender, sexual preference or otherwise) are almost non-existent. The Thai people have never needed to mass migrate to a foreign land due to a severe situation such as military conflict, famine or natural disaster. On the contrary, people of more than a few neighbouring countries have fled such type of situation to seek refuge in Thailand.
Identity: “Thai-ness” permeates all spectrum of Thailand’s society and members of the populace are unequivocally proud to identify themselves as “Thai”. This, even though Thailand is, in fact, a “melting pot” of cultures (from the Middle East to the Far East, and increasingly from the West as well) throughout the course of our history. Somehow, Thailand and its people have been adept at assimilating new and alien cultural elements into our own.
The people of modern Thailand are as varied as those of any nation. They are of all shapes and sizes, complexions, statures and hold all forms of occupations. Virtually all would call themselves “Thai” and would define “Thai” as primarily a political identity — as “Thais” they are citizens of the Kingdom of Thailand. The term “Thai” might take on a cultural and linguistic sense as well: a “Thai” means they are speakers of the Thai language and participants in the Thai culture. The “Thai” identity, along with its political, cultural, and linguistic components, has developed slowly over many centuries through both domestic as well as cross-border interactions with foreigners from both East and West.
RELIGION:
Even though Buddhism is the predominant religion in Thai society and about 95% of the Thai citizenry profess to be Buddhists, Thailand is a secular state and freedom of religious practice has always been the hallmark of the Thai society. Furthermore, Thailand’s Constitution of 2017, Chapter 3, Section 27 states as follows:
“Unjust discrimination against a person on the grounds of differences in origin, race, language, sex, age, disability, physical or health condition, personal status, economic and social standing, religious belief, education, or political view which is not contrary to the provisions of the Constitution, or on any other grounds shall not be permitted.”
Hence, all religious (or non-religious) believes that advocate socially sound guidance on morality and conscience are in line with the Thai psyche.
MONARCHY:
The term “monarchy” here does not refer only to the king/monarch but to the entire monarchic institution both of the present as well as throughout our national history.
Heritage: The monarchy has been a significant institution in Southeast Asian cultures since the early First Millennium CE. It was inculcated during the Region’s “Indianisation” as is expounded by George Cœdès in his seminal book, “Histoire Ancienne des États Hindouisés d’Extrême-Orient (The Indianised States of Southeast Asia)”. During this roughly millennium-long period (from early First Millennium CE through early Second Millennium CE) the Indian cultural influences gradually took hold, and various Southeast Asian polities experimented with various Indian-style forms of governance. Eventually, two principal monarchical orders became dominant:
“The Dharma-raja” (a Buddhist orientation) where the monarch submits to the Dharma (i.e. the teachings of Lord Buddha) and ruled in accordance with Buddhist principles and with the notion that he (or she?) is a “Bodhisattva” (i.e. a future Buddha). This being so, the monarch must possess the “Ten Royal Virtues” (ทศพิธราชธรรม), as follows:
- Dana (giving) / ทาน (การให้ การเสียสละ)
- Sila (morality) / ศีล (ความประพฤติดีงาม)
- Paricaga (donation) / ปริจจาคะ (การเสียสละความสุขส่วนตน เพื่อความสุขส่วนรวม)
- Ajava (honesty) / อาชชวะ (ความซื่อตรงสุจริต)
- Maddava (gentleness) / มัททวะ (ความสุภาพอ่อนโยน)
- Tapa (perseverance) / ตบะ (ความเพียร ความอุตสาหะ)
- Akkodha (non-anger) / อักโกธะ (ความไม่โกรธ)
- Avihimsa (not causing harm) / อวิหิงสา (ความไม่เบียดเบียน)
- Khanti (endurance or patience) / ขันติ (ความอดทน)
- Avirodhana (consistency and congruity) / อวิโรธนะ (ความหนักแน่น เที่ยงธรรม)
“The Deva-raja” (a Hindu orientation) where the monarch is deified as a “god-king” – a proposition that the king is an incarnation of either Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu (two of Hinduism’s principal deities) thus rules with the notion that he is vested in divine wisdom and power.
Today in Thailand’s Constitutional Monarchy regime, both the Dharma-raja and the Deva-raja orders are in practice. Dharma-raja in the monarch’s day-to-day undertaking of his duties, while Deva-raja ceremonies are seen during important royal events such as the monarch’s coronation and the funerary functions of senior members of the royal household.
Leadership: Historically, the Thai populace has viewed the monarch as the supreme leader and the principal champion of the nation in practically every matters of the realm. Today, however, the monarch and those who are directly related to him do not partake in any political activities in accordance with Thailand’s current constitution. But they all are very much active in all other important aspects that affect his subject’s state-of-being – medical, agricultural, spiritual/religious, arts and crafts, etc. The monarch is also the Commander in Chief of Thailand’s armed forces and it is not an overstatement to say that he has unequivocal allegiance and loyalty of all Thailand armed forces.
Rule-of-Law: In the bygone days of absolute monarchy [abolished after a coup d’état by several high-ranking civil servants and military officers against King Prajadhipok (King Rama VII) in 1932], the monarch WAS the law. In today’s Thailand under constitutional monarchy, the laws are promulgated through the parliamentary processes prescribed by the Constitution. The monarch gives a final stamp of approval to each proposed legislation before it is put into effect, but this is just ceremonial.