Ho Chi Minh in Thailand & Lai Teik in Malaya

Do you know Ho Chi Minh had been to Thailand and Malaysia?...as a representative of the Comintern in Southeast Asia.

Ho Chi Minh had many names and aliases

Ho's given name at birth was Nguyen Tat Thanh. He also had another name - Nguyen Van Ba. Ho used this name when he worked as a steward in a ship, the La Touche Treville, on his overseas trip from Saigon to Marseilles, France. He changed back to Nguyen Tat Thanh after his arrival in France. Ho has been known by many aliases. His first alias, second well-known after Ho Chi Minh, was Nguyen Ai Quoc. Ho dropped the name Nguyen Ai Quoc after betraying Phan Boi Chau's whereabouts to the French authorities for Hong Kong $10,000. Phan Boi Chau was an independent fighter against the French. He was known as Lý Thuy in China. Ho also had ten other aliases such as: Ly Thuy, Vuong, Tran, etc. However, those names were not very well-known.

Ho Chi Minh or Nguyễn Sinh Cung was born in 1890 in Hoàng Trù Village, Nam Dan district, Nghe An Province,Vietnam( it was called Annam), his mother(Hoang Thi Loan,1868–1901)’s hometown. His father is Nguyen Sinh Sac. His name was later changed to Nguyen tat Thanh on his tenth birthday. From 1895, he grew up in his paternal hometown of Kim Liên Village, Nam Đàn District, Nghệ An Province, Vietnam. He had three siblings: his sister Bạch Liên (or Nguyễn Thị Thanh), a clerk in the French Army; his brother Nguyễn Sinh Khiêm (or Nguyễn Tất Đạt), a geomancer and traditional herbalist; and another brother (Nguyễn Sinh Nhuận) who died in his infancy. As a young child, Nguyễn studied with his father before more formal classes with a scholar named Vuong Thuc Do. Nguyễn quickly mastered Chinese writing, a requisite for any serious study of Confucianism, while honing his colloquial Vietnamese writing. In addition to his studious endeavors, he was fond of adventure, loved to fly kites and go fishing. Following Confucian tradition, at the age of 10, his father gave him a new name: Nguyễn Tất Thành, “Nguyễn the Accomplished”.

Nguyễn’s father, Nguyễn Sinh Sắc, was a Confucian scholar, a teacher on a small scale, and later an imperial magistrate in the small remote district of Binh Khe (Qui Nhơn). He was demoted for abuse of power after an influential local figure died several days after receiving 100 strokes of the cane as punishment. In deference to his father, Nguyễn received a French education, attended lycée in Huế, the alma mater of his later disciples, Phạm Văn Đồng and Võ Nguyên Giáp. He later left his studies and chose to teach at Dục Thanh school in Phan Thiết.

In 1911, Nguyen went to Saigon. He applied to a school to learn to be a mechanic, in order to get in touch with modern technology. He didn't stay long, Nguyen decided to go to France to see the new world. At the age of 21, Nguyen Tat Thanh left Vietnam for 10 years, and changed his name again to Van Ba.



USA 1912-1913
In 1912, working as the cook’s helper on a French steamer, Nguyễn traveled to the United States. From 1912 to 1913, he lived in New York (Harlem) and Boston, where he worked as a baker at the Parker House Hotel(now Omni Parker House Hotel, Boston). Among a series of menial jobs, he also has claimed to have worked for a wealthy family in Brooklyn between 1917 and 1918 and for General Motors as a line manager. It is believed that, while in the United States, he made contact with Korean nationalists, an experience that developed his political outlook.

England 1913-1919
At various points between 1913 and 1919, Nguyễn lived in West Ealing, west London, and later in Crouch End, Hornsey, north London. He is reported to have worked as a cleaner and dishwasher in the kitchen at the Drayton Court Hotel in 1914, on The Avenue, West Ealing. It is claimed that Nguyễn trained as a pastry chef under the legendary French master, Escoffier, at the Carlton Hotel in the Haymarket, Westminster, but there is no evidence to support this. However, the wall of New Zealand House, home of the New Zealand High Commission, which now stands on the site of the Carlton Hotel, displays a blue plaque, stating that Nguyễn worked there in 1913 as a waiter. Nguyễn was also a regular visitor to Chelsea FC during his stay in West London.

France 1919-1923
From 1919–1923, while living in France, Nguyễn Sinh Cung began to approach the idea of communism, through his friend and Socialist Party of France comrade Marcel Cachin(1869-1958). Cung claimed to have arrived in Paris from London in 1917, but French police only have documents of his arrival in June 1919.

Ho Chi Minh,was living in Paris and working as a kitchen assistant at the Hotel Ritz, Paris.

1919
Following World War I, The Paris Peace Conference opened on 18 January 1919 and ended on 21 January 1920 with the inaugural General Assembly of the League of Nations. It took place in Paris and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities, including U.S. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson who stayed in Paris for 6 months. Under the name of Nguyễn Ái Quốc (“Nguyễn the Patriot”),Ho Chi Minh petitioned for recognition of the civil rights of the Vietnamese people in French Indochina to the Western powers at the Versailles Peace Conference, but was ignored. Citing the language and the spirit of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, Nguyễn petitioned U.S. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson for help to remove the French from Vietnam and replace them with a new, nationalist government. While he was unable to obtain consideration at Versailles, the failed effort had the effect of further radicalizing Nguyễn, while at the same time making him a national hero of the anti-colonial movement at home in Vietnam. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson, a strong advocate for League of Nations,was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize. Nguyễn Ái Quốc become a communist, and started Indo-China War against France and later Vietnam War with USA...

1920
The Tours Congress was the 18th National Congress of the French Section of the Workers' International, or SFIO, which took place in Tours on 25—30 December 1920. During the Congress, the majority voted to join the communist Third International and create the French Section of the Communist International(SFIC), which became the Parti Communiste Français (French Communist Party)(PCF)in 1921. Nguyen Ai Quoc, was present at the congress and made a speech decrying the exploitation of the French colonies, and supporting the proposal to join the Third International. Nguyễn Ái Quốc, together with his friend Marcel Cachin(1869-1958), they become the founding member of the Parti Communiste Français (French Communist Party)(PCF).

In May 1922, Nguyễn wrote an article for a French magazine criticizing the use of English words by French sportswriters. The article implores Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré to outlaw such Franglais as le manager, le round and le knock-out. While living in Paris, he had a relationship with dressmaker Marie Brière

Moscow 1923-1924

In 1923, Nguyễn left Paris for Moscow, where he was employed by the Comintern(Communist International) or Third International(1919–1943), studied at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East. He participated in the Fifth Comintern Congress held at Moscow from June 17 - July 8, 1924, and also urged the Comintern to actively promote revolution in Asia.

China 1924-1927

Arrived in Canton (present-day Guangzhou), China, in November 1924. Not initially having any official role, he quickly made contacts, including with Mikhail Borodin, the Comintern representative to Sun Yat-sen's government. There is little evidence for his being a deputy of Borodin. He was also however representative of Peasant International. He went to work at the Soviet news agency in Guangzhou, also working on the formation of a Vietnamese revolutionary party, and education of Vietnamese elites in Marxism-Leninism. His pseudonym of the time was Ly Thuy.

In June 1925, Hoàng Văn Chí said that Nguyễn had betrayed Phan Bội Châu, the head of a rival revolutionary faction, to French police in Shanghai for 100,000 piastres. Nguyễn later claimed that he did this because he expected Chau’s trial to stir up anti-French resentment and because he needed the money to establish a communist organization. But in Ho Chi Minh: A life, Duikers denied this hypothesis. Other sources claim that Nguyen Thuong Hien was responsible for Chau's capture. Châu never denounced Nguyễn.

During 1925-26 he organized 'Youth Education Classes' and occasionally gave lectures at the Whampoa Military Academy on the revolutionary movement in Indochina. Ho had also arranged for some members of the Revolutionary Youth League to attend China's Whampoa Military Academy. After Sun Yat-Sen's death in March 1925, Chiang Kai-Shek took power, and initially cooperated with the Communists but later arrested Soviet advisors at the Whampoa Military Academy in March 1926. Borodin accepted a reduced Communist role in the KMT when its Executive Committee met in May.

According to Duiker, he lived with and married a Chinese woman, Tăng Tuyết Minh (曾雪明, Zeng Xueming), on 18 October 1926. When his comrades objected to the match, he told them, “I will get married despite your disapproval because I need a woman to teach me the language and keep house.” She was 21 and he was 36. They married in the same place where Zhou Enlai had married earlier and then lived together at the residence of Comintern agent Mikhail Borodin

In 1927 the communists were expelled from Guangzhou in April, following a coup by Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek. Ho left Canton again in April 1927 and fled to Hong Kong in May. Pursued by British authorities, he went to Soviet Far East headquarters in Vladivostok, and then moved to Moscow. The initial plan was for him to move to Siam as a base for organizing Indochinese Communism, but, instead, spent time in various European cities.

Moscow & Paris 1927

Ho spent some of the summer of 1927 recuperating from tuberculosis in the Crimea, before returning to Paris once more in November.

Thailand 1928 -1929

In 1928, he traveled to Brussels and Paris, then Siam (now Thailand), where he spent two years as a representative of the Comintern in Southeast Asia(replacing Tan Malaka). Ho Chi Minh was later appointed to head the Communist International's Southeast Asia branch and he served as Moscow's agent in this capacity from March 1930 to June 1931. His followers remained in South China.



He then returned to Asia by way of Brussels, Berlin, Switzerland, and Italy, from where he took a ship to Bangkok, Thailand, where he arrived in July 1928. Assuming the identity Father Chin, he moved to northern Siam late in the year; the French lost track of him. On 29 October 1929, the Imperial Court in Vinh (Nghe An Province, Annam) sentenced Nguyen Ai Quoc (Ho Chi Minh) sentenced him in absentia to death, for plotting revolution in Annam.

He remained in Thailand, Ho Chi Minh resided at Ban Nachok, a small village on the road between the airbase and Nakhon Phanom. This place has high concentration of Vietnamese, especially Catholic. Both his home and a new modern museum are now open to the public. Nakhon Phanom (Thai: นครพนม) is one of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from south clockwise) Mukdahan, Sakon Nakhon and Bueng Kan. To the north-east it borders Khammouan of Laos. Ho Chi Mihn Museum tells us that Uncle Ho arrived at the house in 1923 and stayed for 7 years until 1931. However all biographies of Ho Chi Mihn say he only lived in the village between 1928 and 1929, which is more reliable fit to historical events, as Ho was actively involved in formation of CPV and MCP only in early 1930.

Ho Chi Minh departed from Canton in April or May 1927 and was incommunicado with the Vietnamese movement. The Central Committee of Thanh Nien called a National Congress of the organization, slated to begin on May Day of 1929. This gathering, held 1–9 May 1929 and attended by 17 delegates from each of the three main administrative districts of Vietnam, plus Hong Kong and Siam, would prove the occasion for a split between those who placed primary emphasis on the so-called "national question" (independence from colonialism) and those who sought a more radical movement placing emphasis on social revolution. Ho Chi Minh was not in attendance, still missing from the scene.

The end of 1929, he went to China. He changed his name to Sung Man Cho(宋文初). In December 1929, he went to Hong Kong and stayed as representative of the Communist International.

In an October 27 message, the Comintern, asked Ho, then in Siam, to bring the three groups together in a Hong Kong meeting. Ho Chi Minh, back in direct activity in the Vietnamese movement, was responsible for brokering the peace between the warring factions as well as writing the initial manifesto and statement of tactics of the group. The two warring offspring of Thanh Nien(Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth Association)established by Nguyen Sinh Cung(Ho Chi Minh)in 1925, joined with individual members of a third Marxist group founded by Phan Boi Chau at a "Unification Conference" held in Hong Kong from 3–7 February 1930. The new party was named the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). It was formed on 3 February 1930. Ho presided over the formation of the Vietnamese Communist Party (Viet Nam Cong San Dang). At the Comintern's request, the name was changed later that year at the first Party Plenum to the Indochinese Communist Party, thus reclaiming the name of the first party of that named founded in 1929. A Comintern representative, however, told that none of the Vietnamese organizations would be recognized until the Comintern decided they were unified. Until then, the Chinese Communist Party would direct the Vietnamese groups. Finally, the Indochinese Communist Party was recognized on February 18, 1930.

In 1922 the CCP opened a clandestine office in Singapore which sowed the seed for the South Seas Communist Party (or Nanyang Communist Party). This party was mainly active in the Dutch East Indies and French Indo-China. In Singapore its work centred on the trades unions. After their 1925 uprising failed, many Indonesian Communists took refuge in Singapore, and engaged in political work there under the auspices of the Third Communist International. (Note: Communist Party of Indonesia is the oldest in Asia, formed in 1920, Tan Malaka was the first representative of Comintern in South East Asia in 1923). In 1925, the South Seas Communist Party was formed out of CPC exile units in South-East Asia. SSCP functioned as a preliminary organization before national CPs were formed. The Singapore-based South Seas Communist Party, was organized in 1928, was concerned with establishing communism among the overseas Chinese, including those living in Thailand. Through its efforts, the first Communist Party in Thailand was formed in 1929. But until the mid-1930's, Communist activities were generally confined to discussions of ideology and organization. The period in Thailad, Ho was not active in helping to organize national Communist Parties in South East Asia until 1930, not even Thai communism. He only concentrate on Vietnamese movement.

On 30th April 1930, Ho Chi Minh traveled from Singapore to Malaya as representative of Comintern, attended the formation of Communist Party of Malaya(CPM)in the rubber estate in Johore. The South Seas Communist Party was dissolved and replaced by the newly formed Communist Party of Malaya. He left for Singapore immediately after the ceremony.

Hong Kong(1929-1933)
In June 1931 Ho was arrested in Hong Kong by British police and remained in prison until his release in 1933. This resulted in one of the leading case in Hong Kong,Sung Man Cho Vs. The Superintendent of Prisons. Ho Chi Minh’s habeas corpus case was tried in Hong Kong Supreme Court and appealed to the Privy Councel, the highest court in the British Empire. Habeas corpus, an ancient and fundamental principle of British law, is a prerogative writ used to challenge the validity of a person’s detention either in official custody (e.g when held pending a deportation or extradition) or in private hands.

In June 1931, Ho Chi Minh travelled to Hong Kong to attend a meeting for leftist patriots. Tipped off by the French, on June 6, 1931, the British authorities in Hong Kong arrested Ho Chi Minh, whom they planned to deport on a French ship. That deportation would have assured Ho Chi Minh's death. A legal battle followed, with British lawyer Francis Loseby(1883-1967) representing Ho, who claimed he was a Chinese national, Sung Man Cho(宋文初). The prominent coverage in Hong Kong's English-language press of the case Sung Man Cho Vs. The Superintendent of Prisons, because it challenged the power of the British Hong Kong governor. British authorities never realized they had captured a Comintern (Communist International) revolutionary actively organizing in one of their own colonies, Malaysia. Ho Chi Minh lost his case in the Hong Kong Supreme Court. The Hong Kong governor was about to deport Ho Chi Minh to French Indochina on a French ship – essentially a death sentence. Ho Chi Minh's lawyers appealed on his behalf to the Privy Council, the British Empire's highest court. Two London lawyers – Denis Noel Pritt (1887-1972) for Ho Chi Minh and Sir Stafford Cripps (1889-1952) for the Crown – settled the case out of court in summer of 1932.

Nguyen Ai Quoc, with the help of British solicitor Francis Loseby(1883-1967), masqueraded as a wealthy Chinese merchant before boarding a boat leaving Hong Kong for Vladivostok. Francis Loseby came to Ho Chi Minh's aid. He disguised Ho Chi Minh in a wealthy Chinese merchant's brocade gown and turban. Loseby's Chinese law clerk posed as a secretary for the "distinguished merchant." On January 22, 1933, after Ho Chi Minh's ship had left Hong Kong Harbour, the assistant superintendent of the Hong Kong Police accompanied two "belated passengers" by private launch to their reserved, first-class cabin. The two "merchants" arrived in Port Xiamen (Amoy) in time to enjoy Tet (Lunar New Year) 1933, the Year of the Water Rooster. From there, Ho Chi Minh traveled on to Vladivostok and then to Moscow. Francis Loseby, the British solicitor, and Denis Noel Pritt, the British barrister, both together had saved Ho Chi Minh's life in Hong Kong...not forgetting Sir Stafford Cripps – a socialist, a member of the leftist Fabian Society, an activist for Indian independence, and the opposing lawyer who represented the British Empire, without him an out of court settlement will be difficult....through them, a new history for Vietnam was created ....

Moscow, 1933-1938
To reduce French pressure for extradition, it was announced in 1932 that Nguyễn Ái Quốc had died. The British quietly released him in January 1933.

He then made his way back to Milan, Italy, where he served in a restaurant, Trattoria della Pesa restaurant. The restaurant is now a traditional Lombard-cuisine temple and harbors a portrait of Ho Chi Minh on the wall of its main dining hall. He then moved to the Soviet Union, where he spent several more years recovering from tuberculosis. Ho spent much of the years studying and teaching at the Lenin Institute, Moscow.

He begin to use Ho Chih Minh as his name

In 1938, he returned to China,reported together with General Ye Jianying(叶剑英) and served as an adviser with Chinese Communist armed forces, which later forced China’s government to the island of Taiwan. From 1938, Nguyễn Ái Quốc began regularly using the name "Hồ Chí Minh", a Vietnamese name combining a common Vietnamese surname (Hồ, 胡) with a given name meaning "enlightened will" (from Sino-Vietnamese 志明; Chí meaning 'will' (or spirit), and Minh meaning 'light'). Some scholar suspected that the name was for remembrance of his Chinese wife, Zeng Xueming(曾雪明). Noted the similar character Ming/Minh(明), Chih Minh(志明), the will to remember Ming(Zeng Xueming). Ho Chi Minh is a Chinese name, not a typical Vietnamese name.

In January 1941, Ho entered Vietnam for the first time in 30 years and organized the Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi (League for the Independence of Vietnam), or Viet Minh. A liberation zone was established near the border with China, from which the Viet Minh worked to muster the discontent of urban nationalists and the rural poor into a unified movement for the liberation of Vietnam.

While in southern China (1942) to meet with Zhou Enlai and Chinese Communist Party officials, Ho was arrested on 27-8-1942 in Guangxi by the Chinese nationalist government of Chiang Kai-sheh and imprisoned for two years. He was released in Sept 1943 in Liuzhou(柳州), Guangxi. In September 1944 Ho was allowed to return to Vietnam with a guerrilla force of 18 men trained and armed by the Chinese.

(1942年胡志明去重庆会见蒋介石与周恩来途径广西时被国民党逮捕，关押监禁一年有余。从胡志明投身革命起，一生中的很多时间都在中国参与中国革命亦在中国指导国内的独立革命解放运动，反法、抗日及抗美斗争。他本名阮必成，曾用名阿三。为了革命斗争的需要，从1918年起他先后使用化名，笔名阮爱国、李瑞（Lý Thuy）、王达人、宋文初、胡光、平山等名字，直到1942年8月27日胡志明在中国广西德保县被国民党逮捕前才正式使用“胡志明”这个后半生不再改变的名字。1943 年9 月，胡志明在广西柳州恢复了自由，1944 年9 月，又经广西中越边境回到越南)

Ho Chi Minh led the Việt Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Điện Biên Phủ. He officially stepped down from power in 1955 due to his health, but remained to be a highly visible figurehead and inspiration for Vietnamese fighting for his cause — a united, independent Vietnam — until his death. Saigon, the capital of Republic of Vietnam, after the war, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in his honor.

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh with some changes)



Some authors were amazed at the multiple personality of Ho Chi Minh, and suspected there may be two personality for historical Ho Chih Minh. This added more mystery to the historical figure.

A Taiwan scholar said that from 1890-1932, Ho Chi Minh was Vietnamese communist Nguyen Ai Quoc(阮愛國), but he died in 1933. From 1933-1969, he was Taiwanese communist Wu Chee Chang(胡集璋).



From the personality of Ho Chi Minh, I remember Lai Teck of MCP. He was also agent of Comintern. He also used multiple names, Lai Tek, Loi Tak, Lee Soong,Wong Kim Geok, Chang Hung, and Mr. Wrigh. He was also having multiple personality. His background was also a mystery, similar to Ho Chi Minh. HO Chi Minh formed Malaya Communist Party on 30-4-1930. Lai Teck arrived in Malaya in 1934, Ho Chi Ming was released from Hong Kong in 1933 and reported went to Europe and only returned to China in 1938 with the new name Ho Chi Ming......Lai Teik was the Secretary General of Malayan Communist Party in 1938....

Did Lai Teck know Ho Chi Minh? Is there any relationship between Lai Teik and Ho Chi Minh?.....or Taiwanese Wu Chee Chang(胡集璋)...or is Lai Teik also Wu Chee Chang or ......

Lai Teck
Lai Teck was a leader of the Communist Party of Malaya and Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army. A Vietnamese of mixed Sino-Vietnamese descent, Lai Teck was known to have reached Malaya and Singapore in 1934 and joined the Malayan Communist Party and became its Secretary-General in 1938. Lai Teck was a shadowy character whose real name and background are unknown. According to his successor, Chin Peng. Lai Teck had served the French as a spy in Indo-China but been uncovered. It was subsequently alleged that he was recruited by the British security services and brought to Singapore to infiltrate the CPM. At this he was highly successful, and by using the British police to pick off his rivals within the Party he rose through the hierarchy and attained the Party leadership (Secretary General) in April 1939. Perhaps because of this, he steered the Party on a course of non-confrontation with the British and wholly embraced the Communist International's new line of cooperation with the United States and the Western European powers against Nazi Germany and Japan. Although many of the CPM's top personnel managed to flee Singapore before it fell, Lai Teck did not and was picked up in a Japanese sweep shortly after. Although most communists were executed by the Japanese, Lai Teck walked free a few days later. Based on later evidence, including documents in Japanese archives, it now appears most likely that Lai Teck saved his life by promising to act as a Japanese agent.

On 1 September 1942, more than 100 senior CPM and MPAJA members gathered at the Batu Caves just north of Kuala Lumpur for a secret conference. The Japanese, however, had been tipped off and staged a surprise raid at dawn. In the ensuing lopsided skirmish most of the CPM and MPAJA high command were destroyed. Lai Teck, who should have been at the meeting, wasn't. Subsequently he claimed that he had been unable to attend because his car broke down.

In 1946, faint rumors which had been circulating within the party about disloyalty on the part of Lai Teck began to receive more substantiation. This was exacerbated by the restlessness of the rank and file, especially the younger members, who favoured radical action. Lai Teck was removed from some sensitive posts, and an investigation was begun into his activities. A full meeting of the Central Executive Committee was scheduled for 6 March 1947 at which the complaints against Lai Teck were to be aired in his presence. Lai Teck did not attend but instead absconded with the bulk of the Party's funds, hiding first in Singapore, then going to Hong Kong and later Thailand. Lai Teck was killed in Bangkok some time in 1947 when Thai Communists tried to capture him. That happen after dissolution of Comintern in 1943.

China and Comintern 1935
During the Long March, the CPC party leadership re-examined its policy in Zunyi (January 1935). Mao Zedong blamed the CPC's failure to ignite a revolution on their decision to blindly follow the Comintern's instructions, which did not take into account the reality of Chinese conditions. During the heated debate, Zhou Enlai unexpectedly accepted the criticism and sided with Mao. Otto Braun was dismissed from his position as the CPC's military commander.

After they resettled in Yanan, the native Chinese Communists, such as Mao and Zhu De, became the real powers in the CPC rather than the foreign Communists supplied by the Comintern. Those Chinese Communists who were loyal to the Comintern, such as a group called the 28 Bolsheviks, fell from all of the most important positions within the CPC. Zhou Enlai became an assistant to Mao in political affairs, such as the pursuit of the United Front and diplomacy. By this time, the Comintern and the Soviet Union could no longer control the CPC. The Comintern continued to give advice, but much of it was simply ignored. The CPC was now a truly Chinese entity, much as the Bolshevik Party had been a truly Russian one.

Ho Chi Minh was close friend of CPC, was Comintern still having influence on Ho Chi Minh?....Ho Chi Minh was in China again in 1938, after the split of China with Comintern. That was also in 1938, Lai Teik become the Secretary General of CPM.

In 19 December 1946, Hồ Chí Minh, representing his government,declared war against the France Union, marked the beginning of the Indochina War. Lai Teik was captured and killed in 1947 in Bangkok. Ho Chi Minh become a national hero, Lai Teik become a traitor....

We at least now know some background of Ho Chi Minh, but until today nobody know the background of Lai Teik.....

No matter who was Ho Chi Minh, who was Lai Teik?.....they were communists, agents of Comintern(1919-1943)......they were the change agents for the communist international......does it matter if they are real......they are proxy of Comintern....they had lost their personal identity to their political belief - communism.......

The reality is who was their ultimate master?......

Further reading:

1. Ho Chi Mihn’s House in Thailand, http://www.thai-blogs.com/2011/01/29/ho-chi-mihns-house-in-thailand/
2. 曾雪明, http://baike.baidu.com/view/3045785.htm
3. Ho chi Minh - The Man & The Myth - 1 -9, youtube
4. Ho Chi Minh, http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh
5. My previous blog, Vietnamese in Thailand, dated Monday, December 28, 2009, http://teochiewkia.blogspot.com/2009/12/vietnamese-in-thailand_28.html
6. 越南國父胡志明是台灣人胡集璋？,http://www.hi-on.org.tw/bulletins.jsp?b_ID=90048
7. 胡志明, http://v.ifeng.com/special/renwupu/huzhiming/index.shtml
8. 胡志明生平考 ,http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/hgfds198/
9. Lai Teck – the traitor of all traitors , http://web1.iseas.edu.sg/?p=1799
10.Cheating death and saving a nation, by Lady Borton, http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Sunday/Features/212075/Cheating-death-and-saving-a-nation.html

Love of father without words

The love of father without words

I do not know what is the name of the movie, may be someone can tell us

you may not need to know the name,

it is good movie.....

You may not know Siamese, the language of Thailand

you do not need to know Siamese to see the movie,

there is no language in the movie

you only need your heart to see....

The movie is so touching,

of the love of father to his child,

it is universal value,

you do not need words to know.


It is the love without words, without many words,

the love of father.....

Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan - The most trusted Siamese

Thailand

Do you know who Thai trusted the most? Conducted in October 2009, the survey found Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan(พรทิพย์ โรจนสุนันท์)to be the most trusted individual in all of Thailand while Doctors were the most trusted group.

Most Trusted Individuals: This survey found that out of 80 individuals Thailand's renowned forensic pathologist and director of the Forensic Science Institute, Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan was ranked as the most trusted individual of the year. She was followed by Phra Ajarn Alongkot Dikkapanyo, the head monk at the famous Buddhist AIDS temple, Wat Phra Baht Nam Phu, Dr. Sumet Tantivechakul, secretary general of the Chaipattana Foundation, Phra Promkunaporn (Prayut Payutto) acclaimed spiritual leader and winner of an UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, and Phanya Nirunkul media tycoon who was the fifth most trusted individual.

The rest of the top ten were film director Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol (6), leading banker Banthoon Lamsam (7), social workers Nuannoi Timkul (8) and Suthasinee Noiin (9), and renowned marine environmentalist Dr. Torn Thamrongnawasawat (10).

People trust those who do good deeds for society: The majority of this survey's top 10 most trusted individuals were people who worked in non-profit organizations and dedicated themselves to helping others. Some of the respondents pointed out that, Dr Pornthip Rojanasunan has worked “dedicatedly and fearlessly to bring justice to our society”. When it comes to trust, politicians are the lowest: According to the survey, politics was seen as the least trusted occupation, followed by Psychic or Astrologer and Insurance Agent. The survey also found that Thai respondents trusted security guards more than they trusted law enforcers.
(extracted from http://www.lifestyleasia.com/articles/culture_4/readers-digest-trust-survey_4336.htm)

The following from youtube are film on Dr Pornthip by National Geographic Channel:











Now we know why she was chosen as the most trusted person in Thailand.

The Thai people considered Dr Pornthip as their most trusted Siamese in Thailand. Recently she was in Malaysia to testify and provide her professional view at the inquest of Selangor political officer Teoh Beng Hock case.

Dr Pornthip has gained the respect of many Malaysian; whatever the case outcome, she will be voted high if a survey is to take place in Malaysia for her....She has the spirit and courage to be difference based on her professional ethic to speak the truth. She said "You have to understand. I work for the rights of the dead,....My objective is to help the dead". For the dead cannot speak for themselves. That is the duty of forensic professional.

The most trusted person in Thailand, with high professional ethic and sense of duty to her profession. That is professional trust, professionalism or integrity.....which is missing in many profession today.....

Related articles

1. http://www.lifestyleasia.com/articles/culture_4/readers-digest-trust-survey_4336.htm
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornthip_Rojanasunand
3. Teoh Beng Hock, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teoh_Beng_Hock
4. Dr Pornthip leaves for home, Teoh's lawyers shift focus to 'note', http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beritamalaysia/message/114364
5. My earlier blog dated Thursday, October 22, 2009,Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand(พรทิพย์ โรจนสุนันท์)

Thailand: Trang(董里府)

Trang (also Muang Thap Thiang,ตรัง,董里府,舊稱什田府) is the one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the western shore of the Malay Peninsula to the Andaman Sea. The province borders on Nakhon Si Thammarat Province to the north, Satun Province and the Indian Ocean (Andaman Sea) to the south, Phatthalung Province to the east and the Indian Ocean and Krabi Province to the west.


View Larger Map

Trang is considered a magnificent coastal province as it long, beautiful coastline stretches 199 kilometers along the Indian Ocean. The province is located on the coast of the Andaman Sea, and contains 46 islands together with the mainland area. There are only few plains, and most of the area is hills. In addition, the province has two major rivers flowing through it, the Trang River, which originates in the Khao Luang Mountain Range and Maenam Palian(Palian River) from the Banthat Mountain Range.

It has along western coastline of about 119 kilometres. The province consists of an archipelago in the Andaman Sea with over 46 islands. Of these, 12 are in Amphoe Kantang, 13 in Amphoe Palian and 21 in Amphoe Sikao. The best time for sea travel is during October to May. Situated along the Andaman coast, Trang province is home to innumerable beautiful islands, while the mountainous eastern region is home to dramatic waterfalls, caves and pristine jungle. Between the mountains and the coast are extensive plantations of rubber.

The southern coast of the province is protected in the Mu Ko Phetra National Park. The estuary of the Trang River together with the Hat Chao Mai Marine National Park and Ko Libong Non-hunting Area are also a registered Ramsar wetland.

Trang used to be a port involved in foreign trade. It was the first city where rubber was planted. Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi brought rubber from Malaysia and planted it here before anywhere else in southern Thailand in 1899. Rubber is now considered an important commodity of Thailand. The important Trang River flows through the province from its origin in the Khao Luang mountain range and the Palian River from the Banthat mountain range. Trang province has an area of approximately 5,000 square km.

History
This province was formerly a part of the ancient kingdom Kedah Tua - A Kedahan-Malay kingdom. he stone inscription at Wat Sema Muang, Nakhon Si Thammarat. The inscription was about King Sri Thamma Sokaraj's erecting Nakhon Sri Thammarat at Hat Sai Kaew in B.E. 1098 (555), and a Buddha's relic cottage therein. In erecting a mother town, according to Brahman tradition, satellite towns must also be erected. According to the inscription, there were 12 such satellite towns, called the 12 animal years. Muang Trang was one of the animal years, the year of horse, and therefore had a horse as its town insignia. Muang Trang had then officially come into existence Trang used to be one of 12 satellite towns that came into existence 900 years ago, but it was only during the era of King Rama II that the place was recognized and the province got its first governor. The first Westerner to arrive in Trang was Captain James Low in 1838 to negotiate commercial benefits.

Actually, the town was located in the Khuanthani (now a tambon in district Kantang). In 1893, the then governor Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi, planning to make Trang an important seaport to the west, relocated the town to district Kantang which is at Trang River delta. It was moved again to its present location 26 km inland in 1916 by King Rama VI due to repeated floodings.

(i)Kuan Thani(1802).
According to the directory of Nakhon Si Thammarat, B.E. 2345 (1802), during the reign of King Rama ll. Phraya Borirak Phubet (Nol) was appointed governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat Succeeding Chao Phraya Nokhon (Phat). He, therefore, proposed that his son, Muang, be Appointed governor of Trang. The king then gave Mr. Muang a title of Luang Upai Rajthani, and appointed him the first governor of Trang. A town shrine was erected at Kuan Thani (Still exists at Tambon Kuan Thani, Amphor Kantang, and 8 km south of the city). In B.E. 2367 (1824), A significant historical event occurred at Trang in Kuan Thani, during which England sent Captain James Low to negotiate on commercial benefits of the Malaysian Peninsula with Phraya Nakhon (Nol) in Trang. In B.E. 2381 (1838), when Phra Songkram Vichit was Trang governor, the So-called Koh Yao pirates attacked Trang and finally took over the city. However not long after, forces from Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhlia subdued the pirates.

(ii) Kantang(1893).
In B.E. 2433 (1890), King Rama V visited the south and paid his first visit to the city of Trang. He contemplated that the city (at Kuan Thani) was in a very dilapidated condition compared with The Chinese community at Tambon Kantang (where pepper was cultivated for export to Penang). The king, therefore, reasoned that under a capable governor, the city could have been very well developed owing to its fertile land. He then caused Phraya Rasdanupradit Mahissaraphakdi, or Kho Sim Bee Na Ranong, who had successfully developed Phuket to his satisfaction, to transfer from Krabi to become the governor of Trang in B.E. 2433 (1890). Phraya Rasdanupradit contemplated that the location of Trang at Kuan Thani was too far away from the coast, unsuitable for trading Purposes and difficult to expand. With his strong intention to make Trang a significant seaport in the West Coast, he, therefore, sought permission from the king to move the city from Kuan Thani to Tambon Kantang, and obtained the king's permission in B.E. 2436 (1893). When the City was moved to Tambon Kantang, Phraya Rasdanupradit laid down so many foundations for development for the city of Trang, that the citizens referred to him as "the king of Development". He was able to make the city's rapid economic growth possible from rearrangement of Town plan. Foreign trade encouragement, construction of Kantang seaport and a road linking Trang and Phatthalung through Phap Pha mountain region, which at that time was an extremely Difficult task but was perfectly completed under his able supervision. To commemorate his numerous contributions, the local people erected a statue of Phraya Rasdanupradit in B.E. 2494 (1951) at his former residence, which is still in existence to date in the city of Trang.

(iii)Thap Thiang(1915).
Though Trang had been very prosperous under the leadership of Governor Phraya Rasdanupradit. During the World War l, King Rama VI visited Trang (at Kantang) in B.E. 2458 (1915) and determined That Trang's being located at Kantang could be subject to enemy's attack, coupled with a spreading of cholera at that time. Moreover, Kantang's being lowland would be difficult for future Expansion. He considered that Tambon Thap Thiang was geographically suitable for a city to be erected there. He, therefore, caused the city to be moved in B.E. 2458 (1915) from Tambon Kantang to Tambon Thap Thiang, where Trang is currently situated. Some people still refer to Trang as "Thap Thiang", which is the name of the location on which Trang is situated.

Meaning of Trang
Many hypothesis on the meaning of Trang, 4 of which are as follows:
1. From "Trangdaburi", a name of one of the twelve satellite towns surrounding Nakhon Si Thammarat: the one with a seaport and a horse insignia.
2.From the word "Trangka", which means wave, since the landscape of Trang is characterised by high and low formations, like a wave.
3. From the Malay word "TrangKae", which means "dawn" or "the day comes". This is another theory proposed by many historians, the origin being that Malaysian merchant ships usually reached the mouth of the Trang River at dawn. Trang was an important sea port of southern Thailand. According to legend the ships always arrived at morning, which lead to the name of the town - Trang derives from the Malay word for light (terang).
5. From the Khmer word "Trang", which means a species of palm tree generally found in Trang area, but is rare elsewhere. This rather makes sense since most of the places in this region were named after its local natural resources. It is, therefore, possible that the place as named after the particular local tree.

However, the mater remains inconclusive and the word's exact meaning remains a puzzle.

The Trang area was the first area of Thailand where rubber trees were planted, brought there by governor Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi from Malaysia in 1899.

Trang is a province less traveled to by tourists, compared to Phuket, Krabi and Phang-Nga. It was only recently that Trang has been poised to establish itself on the international travel map.



Trang Province (changwat)is subdivided into 10 districts (amphoe). These are further subdivided into 87 subdistricts (tambon) and 697 villages (muban). The amphoe are:

1. Mueang Trang (เมืองตรัง)- capital district since 1916
2. Kantang(กันตัง) - the old capital in 1893-1916 and seaport. The city pillar shrine (Lak Mueang) of Trang is still located at its original location at Khuan Thani.
3. Yan Ta Khao
4. Palian
5. Sikao
6. Huai Yot
7. Wang Wiset
8. Na Yong
9. Ratsada
10. Hat Samran

Mueang Trang

Mueang Trang (Thai: เมืองตรัง , also Mueang Thap Thiang ( Thai: เมืองทับเที่ยง ) is the capital district(Amphoe Mueang ) of Trang Province, Thailand. Mueang Trang or the previous name Thap Thiang, became the capital district of Trang Province in 1916, when the capital was moved inland from Kantang, which was prone to flooding.

The district is subdivided into 15 subdistricts (tambon), which are further subdivided into 118 villages (muban). The township (thesaban tambon) Khlong Teng covers parts of tambon Na Tham Nuea. There are further 14 Tambon administrative organizations (TAO).

1. Thap Thiang ทับเที่ยง
4. Na Phala นาพละ
5. Ban Khuan บ้านควน
6. Na Bin La นาบินหลา
7. Khuan Pring ควนปริง
8. Na Yong Tai นาโยงใต้
9. Bang Rak บางรัก
10. Khok Lo โคกหล่อ
13. Na To Ming นาโต๊ะหมิง
14. Nong Trut หนองตรุด
15. Nam Phut น้ำผุด
17. Na Ta Luang นาตาล่วง
18. Ban Pho บ้านโพธิ์
19. Na Tham Nuea นาท่ามเหนือ
20. Na Tham Tai นาท่ามใต้

The city (thesaban nakhon) Trang has a population of 59,637 (2005) and covers the whole tambon Thap Thiang of Mueang Trang district.


Governors of Trang
1.1802-1938? - Muang, Luang Upai Rajthani, son of Phraya Borirak Phubet (Nol),who was appointed governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Trang was at Kuan Thani.
2. 1838?-?)- Phra Songkram Vichit
List of Governor of Trang from Na Ranong family
3. 1890-1901 - The Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahisornpakdi (Khaw Sim Bee Na Ranong, 1856-1913) was the first governor of Trang(at Kantang) . He was assassinated by a Siamese dresser, Ma Chan, in Trang on 25-3-1913. The accused was sentenced to death by judgment in Penang (source: NST dated 6-6-1913 Pg 8untitled, http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/TOC.aspx?issueid=straitstimes19130606)
4. 1901-1913 - Nephew of Khaw Sim Bee, Phra Satharn Khaw Joo Keat na Ranong who died together with his uncle Khaw SimBee in 1913 attack.
5. 1913- ? Phra Nara (BT, 11 September 1913),son in law of Khaw Sim Bee

Monument of Phraya Rasdanupradit Mahissara Phakdi(Khaw Sim Bee Na Ranong)
Located 1 km. out of town on the road to Phatthalung, this is the monument of an important ruler of Trang who first initiated the idea of growing rubber plants in Trang and later they spread all over the southern part of Thailand. The Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahisornpakdi (Khaw Sim Bee Na Ranong) Monument was erected to honor the first governor of Trang (1890-1901) who initiated and was instrumental in bringing in the rubber tree seedlings for planting in the province. Trang Municipal Park: Located 1 km east of town on highway 4 is this nice busy park which is the site of the Phraya Rassadanupradit Mahissarapakdi Monument. The monument is dedicated to Phraya Ratsada who helped Trang Town achieve it's prosperity in the late 1800's by developed transportation routes, an education and health system and rubber plantations. The park is used mostly by locals and is a good place to people watch.

Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi Museum (พิพิธภัณฑ์พระยารัษฎานุประดิษฐ์มหิศรภักดี)

This is a historical site where the former ruler of Trang, Phraya Ratsadanupradit, once lived. Inside the two-story wooden building are a wax figure of the former ruler and a complete collection of his daily personal items. Currently, the Na Ranong family manages the house. The Museum is located around 200 meters from Kantang Municipality at No. 1, Khai Phithak Road, Tambon Kantang,Amphoe Kantang, Changwat Trang. The Na Ranong family looks after the house. It is open to the public every day, except Mondays (it is open on public holidays but closed the following day). Guide services are available for group tours, and must be requested in advance at the Kantang Phitthayakon School tel. 0-7525-1100.

The first rubber tree in Thailand (ยางพาราต้นแรกของประเทศไทย)
The first rubber tree in Thailand (ยางพาราต้นแรกของประเทศไทย) is along a road that leads to Kantang. This tree represents the first group of rubber trees that Phraya Ratsadanupradit planted to pioneer the rubber plantation industry in 1899. There is some dispute where the first rubber seeds come from, some said Malaya(possibly Penang?), other said Singapore Botanical Garden(at that time within British Malaya), and Dutch Indonesia. That is for historian to find out.

Chuan Leekpai- The Prime Minister from Trang

Chuan Leekpai(ชวน หลีกภัย,呂基文) was born in Muang District, Trang Province, Thailand on 28-7-1938. Trained as an attorney, Chuan has been active in Thai politics since 1969, rising to lead the Democrat party. He is derided by critics as overly willing to compromise, though supporters point to his success in forming coalition governments. He first ruled as prime minister from September 1992–July 1995, the longest reign of any popularly elected official in Thailand's history. The November 1997 elections returned Chuan to power as he formed another coalition government with representatives from eight different parties. Chuan's priorities remain with the working class, from which he comes. Despite cutbacks in government spending necessitated by the economic crisis that began in July 1997 with the massive devaluation of the bhat, the average Thai had confidence that Chuan would look out for them and had their interests at heart. The economy improved over the next several years. In 2001 Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai (“Thais Love Thais”) party won the election and Shinawatra took over as prime minister. Chuan Leepkai stepped down as head of the Democratic Party in 2003.

Prime Minister for 2 terms:
September 20, 1992 to May 19, 1995
November 9, 1997 to February 9, 2001

The Market in Trang
The two markets, Ta Klang Market and Municipal Market, selling fresh products are not far away from each other. People do not have to worry about dirty water which may be found in the markets in the other provinces here. Trang has been awarded as the cleanest town in Thailand for many years in a row. And its markets are considered to be the cleanest fresh market in Thailand. If you stay in town, it must be a good experience to walk through one of them to see how local people's daily life is.

Related articles/websites:

1. http://www.mueangtrang.dopatrang.go.th Website of district (Thai only)
2. http://www.trangonline.com/
3. Chuan Leekpai, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuan_Leekpai
4. www.tat.or.th/
5. Ranong's Provincial Government Site,http://www.ranong.go.th/english/khaw.html(info here on the Na Ranong Clan)

Thailand: Ranong( 拉儂)& Na Ranong Family

Ranong Province

Ranong (ระนอง,拉儂府) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, on the coast of the Andaman Sea. It is the province with the fewest citizens. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Chumphon, Surat Thani and Phang Nga. To the west, it also borders Kawthaung Province, Union of Myanmar.

Ranong is the first southern province on the western coast, located 568 kilometres from Bangkok. It is known for the long rainy period, which lasts for 8 months each year. The locals said it is a place of 'Fon Paed Daed Si' seasons, meaning eight months of rain and four months of sunshine. Ranong occupies an area of 3,298 square kilometres and is bordered by Myanmar and the Indian Ocean to the west. Within its compact area, Ranong contains various natural attractions and is blessed with hot springs and unspoiled mangrove forests.

Ranong is subdivided into five districts (amphoe). These are further subdivided into 30 subdistricts (tambon) and 167 villages (muban). Ranong itself is the only town (thesaban mueang), and there are five more subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon).

1. Mueang Ranong
2. La-un
3. Kapoe
4. Kra Buri
5. Suk Samran

Ranong
Ranong (ระนอง)) is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong district. The town covers completely the area of the tambon Khao Niwet (เขานิเวศน์). As of 2005 it has a population of 16,163, and has town status (thesaban mueang).

The name Ranong is actually the Thai corruption of Rundung, a Malay principality under the overlordship of Malay Sultanate of Kedah. Rundung gradually succumbed to repeated Thai invasions in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The town is located at the estuary of the Pak Chan (or Kraburi) River, opposite Myanmar's Victoria Point. Phetkasem Road (Thailand Route 4) runs through the city. The Ranong Airport is located about 24 km south of the town.

The Port Authority of Thailand operates the Port of Ranong, which is Thailand's principal Indian Ocean port.

Ranong is best known as a fishing and trading port. It was settled by the Hokkian Chinese, and their strong influence is evident in the town. Ranong town is a gateway to Myanmar, with colourful longboats ferrying produce and people across the narrow divide that separates the two countries. The traffic is even heavier these days since a casino opened at Victoria Point. The famous hot springs are just outside of town, where an arboretum and various first-class hotels cater to visitors eager to benefit from the medicinal properties of the mineral waters. Ranong also famous for its visa run to Burma.



Na Ranong ณ ระนอง Family 那‧拉儂族
Khaw Soo Cheng
The Na Ranong family name has its roots that go back to Khaw Soo Cheang(许泗漳), the province's first governor, whose portrait graces a wall of a shrine that also has a tablet tracing the family tree. In 1916 all Chinese immigrants and their descendants had to adopt a Thai name, and the family of Khaw Soo Cheang became the Na Ranong family.

Khaw Soo Cheang(1797-1882), other name Khaw Teng Hai, was born in Changzhou(中国福建漳州龙溪县霞嶼鄉), not far from Xiamen, China, in 1797. At the age of 25, along with his elder brother, Soo Foo, he left China like thousands of others before him to escape poverty and headed for Nanyang, in search of a better life. In 1822, he arrived at Penang penniless.

Penang was used to be part of Siam before 1786 under vasal state Kedah, but when Khaw arrived in 1822,it was under British rule. Khaw Soo Cheang began as a labourer but when things didn't get better he obtained lease of eight acres of land in Sungei Tiram(过山)- site of Bayan Lepas Airport today - and started growing fruits and vegetables.

Every week he walked 18 miles to sell his produce in Jelutong,Penang. Six years later life still hadn't improved and he moved to Takua Pa and began trading in clothes, guns, tin, areca nuts, bird's nest and pepper. This time it clicked: trade flourished and for a change, with the help of an influential lady, Thao Thep Sunthorn, he made money. (Note: may be Thao Sri Sunthon (ท้าวศรีสุนทร) sister of the wife of deceased governor of Phuket, Thao Thep Kasattri (ท้าวเทพกระษัตรี)who together successfully defended Phuket against Burmese invasion in 1785? her name was Khun Mook (คุณมุก),which needed to be confirmed).

Later, he moved to Phangnga and finding it full of promise opened a store called Koe Guan. He bought a ship and started trading along the coastal Penang-Ranong-Kra Buri route. Phangnga was his base until 1844.

Ranong then was a small settlement of just 17 houses, but it was rich in tin ores. In 1844, during the reign of King Rama III, Khaw Soo Cheang received a concession to mine tin in exchange for a certain amount of royalty payable twice a year, which he subsequently surpassed as business became prosperous. In 1862, King Rama IV formally elevated Ranong to full provincial status and appointed Khaw Soo Cheang, a tin-mining magnate of Hokkien descent, as governor, granting him the official rank of Phra Rattana Setthi. It was for his loyalty, integrity, and in the face of looming threat from the British who then ruled Burma, Khaw Soo Cheang was appointed governor of Ranong. Later, one of his sons, Khaw Sim Kong, was named to the royal court in Bangkok as an aide to the monarch.

Ranong at the time was so distant that tax collectors were far from willing to travel there. Khaw Soo Cheang, apart from being an able trader, also proved a shrewd administrator and obtained the right to collect taxes on behalf of the state.

He went about the work diligently and as his tin-mining business prospered he was able to bring in more workers which he sourced from his native China. In just three years there were thousands of Chinese working in tin mines, and as their numbers soared so did Ranong's contribution to state coffers. Khaw Soo Cheang had complete say when it came to collecting tax levied on tin mining and export, opium, liquor and gambling, which he pursued with due diligence and in an evenhanded manner.

As his reputation grew, so did his tin business to Lang Suan, Phangnga, Takua Thung, Phuket and Takua Pa, and in due course everyone of them were reporting to Bangkok, completely by-passing the tax collectors, and with tin prices reaching new highs the state revenue also peaked.

It was around this time that Khaw Soo Cheang, by now old and feeling his age, took absence of leave to visit his hometown in China. While he was away a revolt of sorts broke out among Chinese workers and there was rioting in Ranong which he helped clamp down on return. For his services, he was bestowed the title "Phraya Damrong Sujarit Mahisorn Phakdi Jangwang" by King Rama V, while his eldest son was appointed chief administrator of Ranong.

Khaw Soo Cheang died at the age of 86 in May, 1882. He was survived by six sons. His final resting place is a plot of land donated by King Rama V at Ranong.

Khaw family
Khaw Soo Cheang was a Chinese immigrant from Zhangzhou-fu, Fukien Province. He was an officer of the "Small Knives Secret Society", which was fighting to restore the Ming Dynasty. His other name was Khaw Teng Hai, and his alias was Khaw Soo Cheang (refer to the Chinese inscription on his tomb in Ranong). In 1810 he arrived in Penang and stayed in Sungai Tiram which is about 1 kilometer from the present Bayan Lepas International Airport where he was engaged in small-scale vegetable farming. Once a week Khaw Soo Cheang would take his produce down to Jelutong to sell. Khaw Soo Cheang subsequently went into trading and started a small sundries shop business under the name of Koe Guan. Subsequently he started trading up the coast of what is today Southern Thailand.

From trading Khaw Soo Cheang diversified into tin mining, shipping and supplying immigrant labourers. In 1844 he was appointed Royal Collector of tin royalties in the Ranong area, and received the title Luang Ratanasethi. In 1854 King Mongkut made him governor of Ranong and elevated him to the rank of Phra Rattana Setthi. At the time Ranong was subordinate to Chumphon province, but in 1864 it was elevated to full provincial status, and Khaw Soo Cheang became a Phraya, the 2nd highest royal title for commoner. He successfully defended the new province against being invaded and annexed by the Burmese. The family became close to the Thai royal court, especially Prince Damrong, who stayed at the family home in Penang, which was named Chakrabong in honour of the Thai royal family. in 1872 Khaw Soo Cheang who was then an old man of 81 sailed back to China where he married an 18-year-old damsel. Prior to that voyage he had a will made by the venerable firm of Presgrave and Matthews in Penang.

Na Ranong Family
Khaw Soo Cheang(1797-1882) had two Chinese wives, Sit Kim Lean and Kim. He had six sons, of which Khaw Sim Cheng(1850) was the eldest, Khaw Sim Kong(1840-1912) the second, Khaw Sim Chuah(1880) the third, Khaw Sim Khim(1845-1903) the fourth, Khaw Sim Teik (1850-1920)the fifth, and Khaw Sim Bee(1860-1913) the sixth. Kim, a Siamese woman was the mother of Khaw Sim Bee, the youngest son. He may have other Siamese wife. But his principal wife and mother of his heir were Chinese.

1. The eldest son, Khaw Sim Cheng(许心正, d 1850) , died in 1850 before his father who died in 1882. His principal wife was from China, Sek Loon Kwan

2. The second son, Khaw Sim Kong(许心廣, b1840 d 1912), Phraya Damrong Sutcharit (Khosimkong na Ranong) became the next governor of Ranong(拉儂府)from 1882-1896. In 1896 Sim Kong became commissioner of the Monthon of Chumphon (มณฑลชุมพร)from 1896-1901. His principal wife was Cheah Lean Kee from Penang. He has 6 sons, the eldest Joo Seng, Joo Ghee , Joo Chai, Joo Lei(a lawyer worked at Thai foreign office at Bangkok), Joo Kik, and Joo Tai. Khaw Joo Ghee succeeded his father as the Governor of Ranong(DIANA CARROLLis,2000)from 1896, and director of family business Penang Khean Guan Insurance.

3. The third son, Khaw Sim Chuah(许心泉,d 1880), married Yeoh Siew Chee. He died in 1880.

4.His fourth son, Khaw Sim Khim(许心欽 b 1845 d 1903), became became governor of Kraburi(กระบุรี,克拉武里). His principal wife was Lim Kim Teen from Penang. Khaw Sim Khim later left Ranong to manage the family business in Penang. Koe Guan Company was Established by Khaw Soo Cheang during his era(not by Khaw sim Bee, Khaw Soo Cheang's 6th son as some report). The business was look after by Khaw Sim Khim. He was appointed by other members of the Khaw clan organization there the "Koe Yang Tong Society", as the chairman. He was the co-founder of Khaw Kongsi, or Saw Khaw Lean (Heah) Kongsi at Burma Road, Penang, Malaysia. He died in 1903, his tomb was located in Batu Lanchang Chinese cemetery, Penang, Malaysia. His sons, Joo Chie, Joo Tok(（許如琢,1871-1951). Khaw Joo Tok, educated in Penang Free School(English school), was the managing director of Koe Guan & Company,Northam Road, Penang. He was the founding member & committee member(協理员)of Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce(檳州中華總商會), found in 27-6-1903, and Confucius Chinese School(孔圣庙中华学校)on 2-8-1911. He was also the Penang Jurors in 1904( Straits Settlements Government Gazette, December 23, 1904). He is also the founding director of Tongkah Harbour Dredging Company when formed in 1907, founding directors of the Eastern Smelting Company Ltd along with Chung Thye Phin, Eu Tong Sen, Ng Boo Bee, Ong Hung Chong, and his nephew Khaw Bian Kee(許紳基). Khaw Joo Tok inherited Asdang house, which was sold after WW2. Joo Chie was involved in opium revenue farm trade of the family. Early 19th century Penang was used as a staging post for the opium trade between India and China. The East India Company auctioned off licences to gambling dens, brothels and opium traders (this alone accounted for approximately 60% of colonial revenue. He was also the director of Eastern Smelting Company Ltd & Penang Khean Guan Insurance(Sim Bee & Joo Tok also director)between 1907-1910. This is the Khaw family whose descendants are still in Penang.

1904
Khaw Joo Chie, 6th clerk, Resident Councillor's Office; Northam Road.
Khaw Joo Tok, managing director, Koe Guan & Company; Northam Road.
( Source: Straits Settlements Government Gazette, December 23, 1904)

5. The fifth son, Khaw Sim Teik(许心德,b 1850 d 1920), became governor of Langsuan(หลังสวน,浪宣府). His principal wife was Cheah Lean Looi from Penang. His tomb was located at Ranong. His son Joo Tien.

6. Khaw Sim Bee(许心美,b 1860 d 1913), the youngest son, Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi(พระยารัษฎานุประดิษฐ์มหิศรภักดี)became governor of Trang(董里府,舊稱什田府)from 1890-1900, and in 1900 commissioner of Monthon Phuket(มณฑลภูเก็ต, 東南六府). He was a bureaucratic tycoon and an appointed Thai Governor of Kraburi, Trang and later the Monthon of Phuket. In Penang, Sim Bee founded the Koe Guan Company Ltd, then one of the biggest shipping companies in British Malaya. He also pioneered the insurance business in Malaya with his Khean Guan Insurance Company. Sim Bee also had business interests in Tongkah Harbour Tin Dredging Co Ltd and Eastern Shipping Co Ltd. While he was so influential in south Thailand, he married a Chinese woman from Penang Lim Seng Kim as principal wife, with whom he had five sons. However, he was also polygamous and a notorious womanizer. This proved to be his undoing, as he was killed by a doctor in Trang whose wife he had his eyes on. The shooting took place on 25 February, 1913. Also wounded was his nephew,the Governor of Trang. Khaw Sim Bee and his nephew were rushed to the Penang hospital, but succumbed to their injuries on 10 April and 2 May respectively. New Strait Times on 6-6-1913, however reported that he was assassinated by a Siamese dresser, Ma Chan, in Trang on 25-3-1913. The accused was sentenced to death by judgment in Penang (source: NST dated 6-6-1913 Pg 8untitled, http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/TOC.aspx?issueid=straitstimes19130606). Sim Bee's illustrious political and business career was cut short when he was assassinated in 1913. The incident was known as the Trang Outrage, the tragedy marked the slow decline of the Khaw business empire. His tomb was located at Ranong. Khaw Sim Bee's only son in Penang is Khaw Joo Chye(许如財), who was the one inherited Chakrabongse House at Northam Road(now Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah). Chakrabongse house was built back to back with Asdang House, Chakrabongse house facing the sea and Asdang House facing the road. Chakrabongse House was demolished to make way for luxurious family flats, Asdang was sold and demolished in 1993.

However after Khaw Sim Bee's death in 1913, a commissioner from outside the area was appointed to stop the traditionally inherited administrative power of the family. The family essentially divided into the Malaysian and Thai portions of the family. In 1932 all Chinese immigrants and their descendants had to adopt a Thai name after the military coup. The family of Khaw Soo Cheang on the Thai side of the border had been given the name meaning "from Ranong" by the Thai King and became the Na Ranong family. In Malaysia and elsewhere they are still known as the Khaw family.

Khaw Soo Cheang, Khaw Sim Kong. Khaw Sim Teik and Khaw Sim Bee's tombs are today located in Ranong. The tombs of Khaw Sim Khim is located in Batu Lanchang Chinese cemetery while Khaw Sim Chuah who had no sons is purportedly buried off at Kampar Road in Penang. Today the eldest son Sim Cheng and the third son Sim Chuah's family are extinct.

Great Grandchildren(not conclusive):
1. KHAW Bian Kee(許紳基), Directors of the Eastern Smelting Company, Ltd along with Ng Boo Bee, Ong Hung Chong, and his uncle Khaw Joo Tok
2. Khaw Bian Ho,the last person whose name appeared on the trust deed Koe Guan Kong Lun established by the will dated 1872 of Khaw Soo Cheang. He died on October 21, 1972. 21 years after his death, the trust was vested.
3. Datuk Khaw Bian Cheng, was an alumnus of Methodist Boys' School,Penang.
4. Dr Khaw Bian Gow, son of Khaw Joo Ghee who had 6 wives
5. Khaw Bian Soon,son of Joo Piu
6. Khaw Bian Ang, son of Joo ley
7. Khaw Bian Chok, son of Joo Ghee
8. Bian Tatt,son of Joo Choe
9. Bian Chee,son of Joo Choe
10. Bian How, son of Joo Tok, who married Gan keng Wah
11. Bian How, son of Joo Tok,who married Yeoh Saw Kooi
12. Bian Teong, son of Joo Tok
13. Bian Wan, son of Joo Tok
14. Bian Eng, clerk with Tom Miles

Family trust: Koe Guan Trust or Koe Guan Kong Lun

In his will dated 1872 Khaw Soo Cheang divided his estate into 16 parts, of which 15 parts were distributed to his descendants. One-sixteenth was used to set up Koe Guan Kong Lun, the family trust, which was set up in 1905. Under the terms of the Trust Deed, it was stated that 21 years after the death of the last person whose name appeared in the Trust deed the trust would be vested. The last person whose name appeared on the trust deed who died was his great-grandson Khaw Bian Ho, who died on October 21, 1972. Twenty-one years later on October 21, 1993, the Trust was vested, and the Trustees began the process of winding up Koe Guan Kong Lun.

Khaw family & Political Control

The children of Khaw Soo Cheang was the administrators of Phuket, Krabi, Kra Buri, Langsuan, Chumphon, Trang, Ranong , Satun(in 1907); covered nearly all of the west coast of South Thailand except Malay state of Saturn. Other East coast of South Thailand were Songkhla(which was under Na Songkhla family),Nakhon Si Thammarat, and the Malay states of Patani, Yala, Narathiwat.

Ranong - Khaw Soo Cheang(1854-1877), Khaw Sim Kong(1877-1895), Khaw Joo Ghee(1895-?)(note: 3 generation of Na Ranong family)
Kraburi - Khaw Sim Khim
LangSuan - Khaw Sim Tek
Krabi- Khaw Sim Bee
Trang - Khaw Sim Bee, Khaw Joo Keat(note: 2 generations of na Ranong family),Phra Nara(son-in-law of Khaw Sim Bee)

Khaw Sim Kong was the first commissioner of the Monthon of Chumphon (มณฑลชุมพร)from 1896-1901. Khaw Sim Bee was the first commissioner of the Monthon of Phuket(มณฑลภูเก็ต)from 1900-1913.

Note:
(i)Phuket(ภูเก็ต,普吉) - Monthon Phuket(มณฑลภูเก็ต)was established in 1898, succeeding a previously established commissionership. It consisted of the provinces Phuket(普吉), Thalang(ถลาง,它朗), Ranong(拉儂), Phang Nga(จังหวัดระนอง,攀牙), Takua Pa(ตะกั่วป่า,竹古巴)and Krabi(甲米)- 東南六府. In 1907 Satun(沙敦) was added when most of the area of monthon Kedah was ceded to Britain. In 1933 the whole monthon system was abolished with the Provincial Administration Act B.E. 2476, part of the changes made after the coup d'etat which changed the absolute monarchy to a democracy.
(ii) Krabi(กระบี่,甲米) - Krabi was under Kingdom of Ligor in 1200, when the city Ban Thai Samor was part of this kingdom. In modern Thailand, Krabi was administered from Nakhon Si Thammarat, even after 1872 when king Chulalongkorn gave Krabi the status of a town. In 1875 it was made a direct subordinate of Bangkok, thus becoming what is now a province
(iii) Kra Buri (กระบุรี) is now the northernmost district (Amphoe) of Ranong Province, southern Thailand. Mueang Tra (or Kra) was established in Ayutthaya era as the 4th class city under Chumphon. The first governor was Mr. Kaew, a cousin of the governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Kra Buri was downgraded to be a amphoe(district) of Ranong province around 1896.
(iv)Lang Suan (หลังสวน,浪宣府) is a district (amphoe) of Chumphon Province, southern Thailand. Lang Suan was originally a Mueang(semi-independent city-states) and a province reporting directly to Bangkok. During the thesaphiban reforms at the end of the 19th century it was put under Monthon Chumphon. On April 1 1932 the province was abolished and its districts were incorporated into Chumphon province
(v) Chumphon (ชุมพร, 春蓬府) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Chumphon is a town (thesaban mueang) in southern Thailand, capital of the Chumphon Province and the Mueang Chumphon district. Monthon Chumphon was established in 1896 consisting of the provinces Chumphon, Chaiya, Kanchanadit and Lang Suan. Chaiya and Kanchanadit were later merged into one province named Chaiya. In 1905 the monthon administration was moved to Ban Don, the center of Chaiya province. Together with the rename of Chaiya to Surat Thani the monthon got renamed to "Monthon Surat". 1925 the monthon was incorporated into monthon Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Family Businesses
The Khaw family founded an Eastern shipping company, Eastern Trading company, Tongkah Harbour (a publicly listed company), and an insurance company known as Khean Guan Insurance Company found in 1885. The family is also involved as revenue farmer from opium. Khaw family and its Penang associates decided to enter in shipping service in the Andaman Sea for the first time in 1890. By doing so, this group introduced three steamers to service on the routes of Penang-Ranong, Penang-Trang and Penang-Rangoon respectively.

Rubber and Khaw Sim Bee

The rubber tree was introduced to Phuket and South Thailand at the start of the century, coincidentally at the same time as onshore tin supplies started to dwindle and prices dip. Cash from rubber production breathed life into Phuket's small and faltering economy. Rubber plantations expanded to cover some 40% of Phuket's surface. Today it is around 33%.

You can recognize rubber plantations by their regimented rows of trees growing 4 m. apart - the assertion of symmetrical order and monoculture over the riot of native species which preceded it.

The rubber tree is indigenous to South America but was introduced to colonial South East Asia by the British, last century. There was strong competition and intense pressure to increase plantation yields. Europe, in the mid of an industrial revolution, developed an insatiable demand for rubber.

There was a lot of experimenting with hybrid strands to increase yields. Thailand was slow to start. In 1899 Trang governor Phraya Ratsada enviously inspected the new rubber estates of North Malaya.

It wasn't until 1901 that he finally sailed to Dutch Indonesia. While there he wrapped dozens of rubber shoots in wet cotton wool, covered them with newspaper and placed them in four boxes aboard his private steam boat. According to one Thai version, he then "took a very rapid and instantaneous trip back to Thailand."

The governor planted 18 acres near Trang and forced government officials to distribute seeds to farmers. Temporary laws were quickly written in Bangkok to allow rice growers to clear native forest for rubber production.

The agricultural ministry distributed seeds of the Indian rubber tree (ficus elastica) at cost price throughout South Thailand where the climate was suitable. The government brought in a European expert from Java, HWL Couperus, to teach cultivation techniques.

By 1910 rubber was a big player in Phuket's economy. The main market was North Malay, from where sheets were sent to meet industrial demand in Britain. Chinese immigrants who came to work the tin mines in Phuket switched to rubber tapping. Most rubber holdings in Phuket were Chinese owned. The Chinese were the only non-Thais allowed to own plantations in South Thailand. Family-run small holdings abounded on the Thai side of the border, while North Malaya encouraged larger estates with hybrid strains, Indian migrant labor, and foreign ownership.

Nevertheless, Thailand's small holdings supplied 4% of the world rubber market by 1936. With over 2,000 mm. of rain a year, the fertile growing climate of South Thailand propelled the country to the position of world's number one by the mid 1990s. Thailand now produces around 1.8 mil tons a year, 90% of which is exported, earning some 60 billion Baht annually. Indonesia and Malaysia follow closely behind.

Tin mining & Tongkah Harbour Tin Dredging Company

The meeting of Australian Miles family and Penang's Khaw family happened in Penang in 1903, Captain Edward T. Miles (1849-1944) negotiated the sale of four steamers to Koh Guan shipping company directors Khaw Joo Tok(1871-1951) and Khaw Sim Bee(1860-1913). It was a priceless opportunity to win the confidence of one of Siam's most influential Sino-Thai dynasties for Miles, and golden opportunity for Khaw family to meet Australian who has technology background. The discussion must be by Khaw Joo Tok, who is English educated from Penang Free School, and the decision may be by his uncle, Khaw Sim Bee.

According to Thomas Miles, son and biographer of Edward Miles, during negotiations with Koh Guan, his father was invited by Sim Bee to view a potential tin property in the town of Phuket, the administrative centre for the island and province of the same name. Sim Bee sought to increase tin output from Phuket through the introduction of modern mining machinery and mining techniques and believed Miles could help. With backing from Tasmanian jam manufacturers, Henry Jones and Co. Ltd, Miles visited the island in 1904 to find the proposed site unsatisfactory. It lay beneath some government buildings and, fearing his financiers would refuse to pay relocation costs, Miles turned his attention to the harbour. Silted-up with tailings washed down by years of intensive mining activity, the harbour was shallow and inaccessible to all but vessels of shallow draught. He deduced that tin must lay beneath this silt and put forward a proposal to adapt revolutionary dredge technology to recover tin from the harbour and, to make his offer more appealing, clear a new shipping channel and dock. In this version, Sim Bee was impressed by Miles' ingenuity and generosity in offering to redevelop Phuket's port facilities and recommended the project to Prince Damrong Rajanupharb, Minister for the Interior (1893-1915), and minister responsible for the Department of Mines and Geology (1897-1909). This straightforward account leaves many questions unanswered.

The world's first Commercial offshore bucket dredge
The launch of the first Tongkah Harbour Tin Dredging Company dredge on 4 November 1907 at Pyre Dock, Penang, was a major event in the history of tin mining. It was the world's first commercial offshore bucket dredge and its designer, Edward Miles, was an Australian. Attended by the Thai Minister for the Interior, Prince Damrong Rachanupharb, the launching ceremony marked the culmination of an extended process of exploration and negotiation. The Company's genesis was a chance meeting in Penang between Miles and two directors of the Koh Guan shipping company, Khaw Joo Tok, a wealthy Penang businessman, and Khaw Sim Bee, Superintendent Commissioner of monthon Phuket, the major tin producing province on Siam's west coast. Floated on the Hobart stock exchange on 23 November 1906 with a registered capital of A$150,000, Tongkah Harbour proved the most successful Australian tin company formed to operate in Siam, both in terms of its longevity and production. Remaining in Australian hands until the late 1930s, Tongkah Harbour was an unlikely business alliance but one that ideally suited the purposes of all parties involved.

Sim Bee effectively controlled access to mineral deposits in monthon Phuket. Confident of Sim Bee's loyalty to the state, Prince Damrong, a royal patron of the Khaw family, appointed him superintendent commissioner in 1899 conferring the title Phraya Rasadanupradit-Mahisonphakdi, Respected even by the British in Malaya for his efficiency and fairness, Sim Bee was charged with modernising administration and promoting economic development. Increased tin production was one way to silence Siam's critics in Malaya who alleged that incompetent Thai administrators had failed to promote the mining industry and were could not be relied upon to maintain peaceful conditions in Siam's southern provinces and Malay principalities. Under the Anglo-Siamese Convention of 1897 Bangkok was forced to acknowledge a British sphere of influence over most of peninsular Siam to Bang Saphan in monthon Chumphon. British businessmen in the Straits Settlements openly advocated that the principalities, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Trangannu, and Pattani become British protectorates. Belligerent sentiments expressed by businessmen and British officials alike merely exacerbated Thai fears of annexation. Thus extreme care had to be exercised when granting prospecting permits and mining lease applications lest politically astute concession-hunters foment local political discontent to strengthen their bargaining position with the Thai government. In the case of Miles, Thai anxieties were set aside.

Sim Bee and Joo Tok, who also played an instrumental part in bringing Miles to Phuket, were equally anxious to protect their family's mining interests against encroachment by British mining companies, already displacing Chinese miners in Malaya. With no practical mining experience Miles was infinitely less qualified to prospect for tin than many British mining engineers in Malaya desperately to break into Siam. However, Miles had considerable maritime experience and engineering skills which made him an ideal partner for the Khaws. Mine workings on the foreshore and traces of tin ore collected by the anchors of Koh Guan steamers near the harbour mouth, suggested that significant ore deposits lay within reach of someone with sufficient capital and the right technology to recover them. Miles looked to the harbour because Joo Tok told him tin would be found there. The decisive factor was his offer of free shares to Joo Tok and Sim Bee, and a company directorship for Joo Tok. The gesture indicated that Miles was prepared to cooperate with the Khaws and share the potential economic benefits of his tin venture.

Miles identified himself as an Australian rather than a British subject. Perhaps trying to distance himself from the British in Malaya, Miles informed Sim Bee that had he tried to establish a company in the Federated Malay States, British authorities would have made life difficult. Given the damage done to his reputation by the Strahan Marine Board scandal, there was more than an element of truth in this claim. Another critical factor was the rapport that emerged between Miles and Damrong. Dredging aside, politics, Australian and British, was a popular topic of their many conversations during 1906-1907. Recognised in Damrong's official correspondence as chao australia (Australian), as opposed to chao angkrit (English), Miles impressed with his ingenuity, enthusiasm and apparent sincerity. In Bangkok awaiting royal approval for his application for mining leases, Miles was treated by Damrong to a journey by royal yacht up the Chaophraya River to the ancient Thai capital of Ayudhaya. Standing beside the grave of his wife in the royal temple reserve in the ancient Thai capital, Damrong handed Miles a flower inviting him to place it on the grave as a token of respect. Miles did so with due reverence. Displaying a humility that contrasted sharply with the hauteur of many British colonial officials and businessmen with which Thais dealt, this simple act left a lasting impression upon Damrong.

Miles brought an attractive proposal before the Thai government. A shrewd businessman, in return for redeveloping Phuket's port facilities Miles asked that compensation of A$32, 000 be paid by the Thai government in the form of tin royalty and tax exemptions. It was evidence that Miles felt himself in a strong enough position to make demands. Rejecting the request for exemptions, Damrong nonetheless hailed the scheme as a major contribution to the welfare of Siam, taking personal responsibility for shepherding the proposal past a special commission of inquiry, the Council of Ministers, and recommending to King Chulalongkorn that a mining concession be granted. A measure of the standing Miles had acquired, a 25 year mining lease covering 9.16 square kilometres of Phuket harbour was issued to him and not the IXL Prospecting Company NL, formed by Henry Jones to finance his exploration. To offset establishment costs, a reduced lease rent was awarded for an unspecified duration and duties waived on imports of capital equipment and fuel. The Thai government granted Miles generous terms.

Strong opposition to the scheme came from the Director of the Department of Mines and Geology, an Englishman, Henry Scott. Hand-picked by Damrong in 1897 to work in the sensitive area of mining administration, Scott was a trusted employee who rose quickly to become director in 1899. He believed the dredge and dock proposal unworkable and, even though his objections went unheeded by the commission, continued to cast doubt on the project.

Scott also had reason to be jealous. With the help of his brother, T.G. Scott, a London stockbroker, he registered the Siamese Tin Syndicate Ltd., in London in November 1906. A betrayal of Damrong's trust, Scott intended to exploit his inside knowledge of the mining industry in Siam for personal profit. To avoid allegations of a conflict of interest, he did not take up a directorship with Siamese Tin until his resignation from the Mines Department in mid-1907. Yet Miles had beaten him to the start. Moreover, Miles allied with one of southern Siam's elite Sino-Thai families,the Khaw family, an example Scott refused to follow.

The first Tongkah Harbour dredge was built to Miles' specifications by the Scottish firm William Simons and Co. British mining engineers in Phuket sneered as Miles and his team battled mechanical failures to make the dredge operational. Tin was recovered for the first time two months later in January 1908. Within three years Tongkah Harbour had five offshore tin dredges working its Phuket leases. Unable to control management policy, Miles resigned from the company he created after series of disputes with the Hobart board, the most bitter over his replacement as mine manager in 1908. One of his last acts as managing director was to assist Tongkah Harbour renege on his promise to dredge a new dock and shipping channel by heading negotiation with the Thai government for the Company's release from this contractual obligation. It was the last straw. Miles struck out on his own finding an important ally in Aschelon Wooliscroft Palfreyman, a founding director of Tongkah Harbour, who learned the value of Miles relationships with Damrong and Sim Bee on a visit to Phuket in 1908, ironically to oversee Miles' replacement.

By virtue of his relationships with influential members of the Thai government and their Sino-Thai clients, Miles opened the door to Australian mining investment in Siam. Urged on by Miles, Eric Byron Moore, a dredgemaster with Tongkah Harbour, formed a company to develop leases covering the government compound in Phuket town. In the light of Tongkah Harbour's success, this area looked more attractive, and Palfreyman accepted liability for a substantial portion of compensation due the Thai government for relocation of buildings. Following the pattern established by Miles with Tongkah Harbour, Byron Moore procured evidence of �100,000 in available capital to fund the compound project. Generous leasing terms were granted by Chaophraya Wongsanupraphat, Minister for Lands and Agriculture, to whose responsibility the Department of Mines and Geology was transferred in 1909. The Tongkah Compound NL., was floated on the Melbourne stock exchange in 1910 with a registered capital of �50,000. Miles took no part in the company, but, his Penang associate, Khaw Joo Tok, acquired a directorship along with a parcel of free shares.

Between 1911 and 1914 Miles and Palfreyman formed three more dredging companies in association with the Khaw family. Following an invitation to examine possible properties in changwad Renong from the Governor, Khaw Joo Ghee, Deebook Dredging NL, Katoo Deebook NL, and Bangnon Dredging NL were formed. Despite the obvious conflict of interests, Joo Ghee accepted directorships with all three companies. For the Khaw family, the attraction of dealing with Australian investors was obvious. Miles, unlike Scott, was prepared to deal with them on their terms. In return for assistance with the location of fresh tin deposits and the acquisition of mining leases, Khaw Joo Tok and Khaw Joo Ghee received free shares in Australian companies for no capital outlay. With tin prices soaring in the years before World War One, the Khaws could expect substantial dividend payments in pounds sterling. The tragedy of Sim Bee's murder in 1913 did not dent the capacity of the "Khaw-Australia Syndicate" to function as a mining investment vehicle.

The success of Miles and other Australian mining entrepreneurs who followed him needs to be viewed in the context of Thai attitudes towards foreign mining investment. As mentioned, Sim Bee and Damrong were averse to throwing Siam open to British mining companies for fear of disastrous political consequences. Damrong set mining policy on a course designed to curtail the powers of British officials in the Department of Mines and Geology. His successor, Phraya Wonsanuprphat, was equally suspicious, but, bound by the terms of the new treaty with Britain, resigned to increasing foreign mining investment in Siam. Through a selective process of admission, this investment could be harnessed for the improvement of Siam. The Minister for Agriculture urged accommodation lest this "wild water", his metaphor for foreign capital, "flood in and punish us". With regard to the grant of mining leases a balance had to be found between the need for economic development and the interests of state security.

Suspicion of British intentions with regard to the boundary between Malaya and Siam did not cease with the 1909 treaty. Fears that increased British commercial activity in the South might be a precursor to further territorial demands were shared by Chulalongkorn's successor Wachirawudh (1910-25) and Prajadhipok (1925-1935). Overseeing a reduction in the number of foreign advisers employed by the State, Wachirawudh tried to encourage Thai participation in industry. Yet, despite his strident nationalistic and anti-Chinese rhetoric, he did nothing to challenge the interests of the Khaw family. A visitor to the Tongkah Harbour Company in 1910, he appreciated the national economic benefits of increased tin production and valued the contribution of Edward Miles. Thus, despite Damrong's resignation as Minister for the Interior in 1915 after falling out of royal favour, Australian mining investors continued to enjoy privileged access to Siam's coveted tin resources. Enobled as Phraya Rattanasethi during the Sixth Reign, Khaw Joo Tok remained the key broker for Australian tin investors.

Ranong
Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi Museum

This is a historical site where the former ruler of Trang, Phraya Ratsadanupradit, once lived. Inside the two-story wooden building are a wax figure of the former ruler and a complete collection of his daily personal items. Currently, the Na Ranong family manages the house. The Museum is located around 200 meters from Kantang Municipality at No. 1, Khai Phithak Road, Tambon Kantang. It is open to the public every day, except Mondays (it is open on public holidays but closed the following day). Guide services are available for group tours, and must be requested in advance at the Kantang Phitthayakon School tel. 0-7525-1100.

Ranong Governor’s Grave (สุสานเจ้าเมืองระนอง)
Ranong Governor’s Grave (สุสานเจ้าเมืองระนอง) This Chinese grave of Phraya Rattanasetthi (Kho Su Chiang), Ranong’s first governor, is situated on a piece of land dedicated by King Rama V. There are three tiers of stone platform with steps leading up to the grave with antique granite sculptures of Chinese noblemen, horses, goats and lions on both sides.

The Na Ranong family shrine and residential ruins can be visited free of charge. Guided tours can be arranged on request: call Kosol na Ranong at 081-956-0008. Other places of interest: - The privately-owned spa near Raksawarin Hot Spring. - Boat excursions to Andaman Club, a four-star luxury accommodation with casino, and to Victoria Point that features a market, a replica of Shwedagon Pagoda and a monument to King Bayint Naung of Burma.

Trang

Monument of Phraya Rasdanupradit Mahissara Phakdi: Located 1 kilometer out of town on the road to Pattalung, this is the monument of an important ruler of Trang who first initiated the idea of growing rubber plants in Trang. Nowadays, rubber is widely planted in southern Thailand and became an important commodity of the country. In the evening, this is a place for meeting and relaxing of Trang residents.

The first rubber tree in Thailand: The first rubber tree in Thailand is on the road that leads to Kantang district. This tree represents the first group of rubber trees that Phraya Ratsadanupradit planted to pioneer the rubber plantation industry in 1899.

Phraya Rasdanupradit Mahissara Phakdi Musuem: The museum situates about 200 meters from the Kantang Munipality, Kantang district. It is the important historical site because it is the old house of Phraya Rasdanupradit, the Trang's governor in the past. The house is a two-storeyed wooden building. Inside, there are a waxed figure of the governor and a complete collection of his daily personal items. Today, the Na Ranong, the notable family looks after this house. It is open to the public everyday except Monday.

Phuket

Indigo Pearl Phuket: Indigo Pearl resort hotel Phuket

The Indigo Pearl was previously the Pearl Village Resort at Nai Yang Beach in the North of Phuket Island. The resort through has been restyled and as the Indigo Pearl offers a high standard of comfort with luxurious rooms and villas. The quiet location of Nai Yang Beach is appealing to many. This is now an excellent resort hotel on Pohuket for those who wish to be in a quieter and more relaxing beach area on Phuket. he resort has been inspired by Phuket's Tin Mining past and was originally the site of a tin mine owned by the family of Khun Wichit Na-Ranong, Indigo Pearl's visionary owner

The statue of Phraya Ratsada Korsimbi, (Ratsada Korsimbi Na Ranong) the Governor of Phuket between 1890 and 1909 is also situated here

Saphan Hin
A public park located by the sea at the end of Phuket Road , Saphan Hin is a recreational park for both locals and tourists. The Tin Mining Monument dedicated to the memory of Captain Edward Thomas Miles, the Australian who brought the first dredge to Phuket in 1909, is located inside the park. The Saphan Hin Sports Center is also located here.

Krabi

Monument of Phraya Rasdanupradit Mahissara Phakdi
Located 1 km. out of town on the road to Phatthalung, this is the monument of an important ruler of Trang who first initiated the idea of growing rubber plants in Trang and later they spread all over the southern part of Thailand. In the evening, a lot of people go there for relaxation.

Penang, Malaysia

Today the only vestige of his presence in Penang is the Penang state hall known as Dewan Sri Pinang which sits on the land known as Ranong grounds which was given by the Khaw family to the then government of the day in gratitude for the opportunities. The houses where the Khaw family resided on the famous millionaires' road Northam Road such as Asdang, Charkrabong the house opposite the old Shih Chung school besides No 32, have all been sold and no longer remain in the hands of the family.

Koe Guan Kongsi, the company of the Khaw/Na Ranong family of Penang and South Thailand has a family gallery in its premises at 63, Beach Street,Penang.

Khaw Sim Bee Road, located near Westland Secondary School in Penang, was named after him.

Famous Personality from Na Ranong

1.Wichit Na Ranong - Thailand Tourism Council president Wichit Na Ranong
2. Kittiratt Na-Ranong - Former President of The Stock Exchange of Thailand, Kittiratt Na-Ranong. Now Deputy Director for Academic Affairs of Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok,(MBA program)
3. Pittaya Na Ranong (เบิร์ด พิทยา ณ ระนอง), actor.
4. Dr. Teerasak Na Ranong, faculty member,School of Business, Assumption University of Thailand
5. Dr Viroj na Ranong, an economist with the Thailand Development Research Institute.
6. Assoc Prof Dr Anchana na Ranong, Thailand Development Research Institute.
7. Tan Sri Thitinant Na Ranong (นายประสงค์ บุญเจิม)- Khaw Sim Bee's grand nephew Tan Sri Thitinant Na Ranong was Thai Ambassador to Malaysia during Tunku's era(1959-1964). He was one of the founder of Chetawan Thai Buddhist Temple in Petaling Jaya during the 50"s.

(Note: To be updated and improve further)

Related articles:

1. Rubber Wood story, http://www.woodenframe.com/b2b/rubber_wood.asp
2. http://www.ranong.go.th/english/khaw.html
3. Thai-Australian Relations in the Twentieth Century, by Paul Battersby, http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/airlana/Chapter2.htm
4. http://detective-conun.blogspot.com/
5. Ranong & Victoria Point, http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/2005/08/10/ranong_aamp_victoria_point?blog=23
6. Khao Rang Hills, http://www.asiaexplorers.com/thailand/khaorang.htm
7. Khaw Sim Bee, Governor of Phuket: A Centenary View by Pranee Sakulpipatana, Penang Story: http://www.penangstory.net.my/chines-content-paperPraneeSakulpipatana.html
8. 2Bangkok.com Forum on Thai Rubber: http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/archive/index.php/t-1054.html
9. Chinese kinship , marriage strategies, and social mobility in late 19th and early 20th century Siam(1987), by Jennifer W Cushman, Chinese business enterprise, Volume 1, edited by
Rajeswary Ampalavanar Brown pg 175- pg 187, published by Taylor & Francis in 1996
10. Khaw Sim Bee, http://www.phuket-traveltips.com/khaw-sim-bee.htm
11. http://www.naranong.net/(In Thai)
12. Saw Khaw Lean (Heah) Kongsi, http://www.penang-traveltips.com/saw-khaw-lean-heah-kongsi.htm
13. 路過許心美先賢的什田府,http://www.taihuabbs.com/read-htm-tid-19783.html(In chinese, but with many photo)
14. 泰國橡膠之父──許心美, http://www.taihuabbs.com/read.php?tid=17573/?u=107
15. The tales of two families, the miles of Hobart and the Khaws of Penang(2000), by DIANA CARROLL, National Library of Australia News.
16. The Khaw Group: Chinese business in early 20th century Penang, by JW Cushman pg 48- pg 73, Chinese Business Vol 4(1996),published by Routledge London.
17. Tongkah Harbour Tin Dredging Company, http://www.tongkahharbour.com/tongkah/about_history.html