adaptorplug
อนุสาวรีย์ชัยสมรภูมิ Bangkok, August 2013.
Victory Monument aka "Anusawari Chai Samoraphum"
Right. It's the bottom of the 42nd, top of the 43rd. The government is headed up by Phibul Songkhram something something name. Very politely his government had allowed the Japanese to land in the south of the country, i.e. occupy Thailand unopposed. The spin given was that this was in order "to save the country".
So the Japs are in Siam. And the Frogs have hopped it from Laos, Cambodia and Cochin China (Vietnam); les pussies. Well. It's not ten minutes before the Thai army is fighting a Burmese campaign along side the Jap troops. They're all very pally.
... Well why not ? After all, the Japanese had started publishing edicts and things that stated "Asia should be for Asians" and "Asia is not for nasty European colonials"
It's a nifty concept as concepts go, and one I reckon Bono and Bob Geldof and Jane Fonda would be fine with.
But what the Japanese were really dishing up was that "Asia is for Japanese Top Dogs", and as long as the little Asian puppies behave happy, subservient and willing to report into the Japanese (with lots of cheap rubber and gasoline) then everything would be marvelous. And don't forget some good looking local comfort totty who were born to serve troops.
This anti European colonial blurb went down well with Phibun. He loved it. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, subservient comfort totty, yes yes.
Phibun was well into this far right wing Japanese military stuff, and in his his throes of uniformed ecstasy he marched the Thai army into Cambodia to retake parts of "Siam" that he believed te French had pinched years earlier.
Oh how the military and Phibun rejoiced when they won a few decent sized chunks of escarpment. "Chai Yo Chai Yo !!! A military victory for our new post absolute monarchy military government. Isn't our army brilliant?" Yes... Tissues all round.
When the woot wooting died down the government boys got the Italian bloke from Bangkok's new Fine Arts University, Ferrodo Corrocci, to slap up a monument to their achievement. It was up in less than a year.
Every-medalled-one who was any-medalled-one was super chuffed that the military could have their own monument... without those darned meddling kid civilians and / or royals mucking up the aesthetics.
Victory Monument was the first one for the armed forces. And just for armed forces thanking you very much.
Truth be told, it does have nice enough visuals. My favourite statue is the geezer with the artillery shell. He's quite butch. And the afternoon sun gives him rather cute eyes.
อนุสาวรีย์ชัยสมรภูมิ Bangkok, August 2013.
Victory Monument aka "Anusawari Chai Samoraphum"
Right. It's the bottom of the 42nd, top of the 43rd. The government is headed up by Phibul Songkhram something something name. Very politely his government had allowed the Japanese to land in the south of the country, i.e. occupy Thailand unopposed. The spin given was that this was in order "to save the country".
So the Japs are in Siam. And the Frogs have hopped it from Laos, Cambodia and Cochin China (Vietnam); les pussies. Well. It's not ten minutes before the Thai army is fighting a Burmese campaign along side the Jap troops. They're all very pally.
... Well why not ? After all, the Japanese had started publishing edicts and things that stated "Asia should be for Asians" and "Asia is not for nasty European colonials"
It's a nifty concept as concepts go, and one I reckon Bono and Bob Geldof and Jane Fonda would be fine with.
But what the Japanese were really dishing up was that "Asia is for Japanese Top Dogs", and as long as the little Asian puppies behave happy, subservient and willing to report into the Japanese (with lots of cheap rubber and gasoline) then everything would be marvelous. And don't forget some good looking local comfort totty who were born to serve troops.
This anti European colonial blurb went down well with Phibun. He loved it. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, subservient comfort totty, yes yes.
Phibun was well into this far right wing Japanese military stuff, and in his his throes of uniformed ecstasy he marched the Thai army into Cambodia to retake parts of "Siam" that he believed te French had pinched years earlier.
Oh how the military and Phibun rejoiced when they won a few decent sized chunks of escarpment. "Chai Yo Chai Yo !!! A military victory for our new post absolute monarchy military government. Isn't our army brilliant?" Yes... Tissues all round.
When the woot wooting died down the government boys got the Italian bloke from Bangkok's new Fine Arts University, Ferrodo Corrocci, to slap up a monument to their achievement. It was up in less than a year.
Every-medalled-one who was any-medalled-one was super chuffed that the military could have their own monument... without those darned meddling kid civilians and / or royals mucking up the aesthetics.
Victory Monument was the first one for the armed forces. And just for armed forces thanking you very much.
Truth be told, it does have nice enough visuals. My favourite statue is the geezer with the artillery shell. He's quite butch. And the afternoon sun gives him rather cute eyes.