Abstract:
The aim of this article is to study the story of Khum Luang/
Wieng Khaew, the palace of King of Chiang Mai, from Siam
chronicles, which were written after the annexation of
Chaing Mai by Siam in the era of King Chulalongkorn. Besides the
chronicles, other sources like archival documents, memoirs and
oral history should also be studied alongside with the concept
of internal colonialism.
The main thai-chronicle of lanna-history, the Yonok
Historical Annual, written by Phraya Prachakitkorrajak (Cham-
Bunnag), aimed to tell the story of building the Siam-state with
Bangkok as a center. As one stage of establishing the Thai-state,
the Yonok Historical Annual talks about the renovation of
Chiang Mai, the center of Lanna, that took place after the short
occupation of the Burmeses. The chronicle states that,
King Kawila drove back the people to the city and ordered the
establishing of the city pillar. In telling these, the chronicle
doesn’t mention Khum Luang/Wiang Khaew, which refer to
a palace of the King of Chiang Mai and thus the governmentcenter
of Lanna. Controversially, both royal houses were
mentioned in several memoirs of foreigners in Lanna and in oral
history as a place as big importance, which decorated in western
styles in the time of colonialism.
Moreover, the Siam archival documents show that,
after the annexation of Lanna, Khum Luang and Wiang Khaew
were rebuilt into places with positive meaning-such as, town hall
and school-and negative meaning-such as, a prison. Rebuilding
the palace into a prison means a degradation of a palace.
Furthermore, it also shows the influence of Siamese government
in Bangkok over the colonized Lanna, since the Siamese
government could do what it saw fit.
