Buffer States, Part 4: Thailand

Part 1: Himalayas – Part 2: Afghanistan – Part 3: Switzerland

Thailand, or what was known until 1949 as Siam, is a country with a long and rich history. Yet it’s peculiar border, particularly with Burma, is a direct result of the struggle between the French and British Empire during the years of colonization in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Here is a map of Southeat Asia in 1686, with the borders of Siam highlighted in red.

Here is modern map showing the nations of Southeast Asia in 1713.

So what happened to make Thailand’s bizarre border with Burma that exists today? I’m speaking specifically of the thick yellow line on the map below.

What an ugly border. Compared to historical maps, Burma annexed Thailand’s coast along the Andaman Sea. Not surprisingly, smuggling of drugs and other illegal goods is rampant along the border, which is impossible to monitor with regularity.

When France occupied Indochina (modern-day Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia) and Britain colonized Burma and the Malay Peninsula, the two European powers agreed that Siam should remain independent and thus keep the colonies from sharing a border that would inherently lead to troublesome disputes.

But their respect for the Siamese King ended there. Both Britain and France gave little attention to the country’s sovereignty and took as much land as they felt necessary. The British, who controlled India and Burma, took the coast but left the jungle, hence the bizarre (and pourous) border along that thin stretch of land.

You can read the details of the history in this Wikipedia article.