Siam and Pattani during the First Two Reigns of Rattanakosin Era : Toward the Understanding of War and the Division of Pattani into 7 Principalities

Abstract

This article examines the conflict between Siam and Pattani during the first two reigns of the Rattanakosin era that led to the division of Pattani State into 7 principalities. The main question focuses on the attitude and perception of Siamese elites that shaped a new policy towards Pattani, which changed the concept and pattern of the tributary relationship between the two states that had been on going in the past centuries. The findings suggest that such a conflict should be examined within the context of security, which was the main concern of the newly revived Siamese kingdom and equally newly formed Chakri Dynasty. From a security perspective and against the need of the Siamese kingdom to integrate her power, the decline and fall of Pattani ‘kerajaan' made it difficult for Pattani to fit in with the goals, policies and strategies that Bangkok used to integrate power over the outlying Malay Peninsula. Pattani was 'weak' because the state was politically fragmented and lacked a central figure of leadership acceptable to Siam. At the same time, Pattani still had a strong drive towards struggle for independence. To the Siamese elites, therefore, Pattani became an important problem that called for immediate and what they considered a permanent solution. While these findings may not significantly change our knowledge about what happened to Pattani during the early reigns of the Rattanakosin era, it should provide a new perspective on “Why" it happened the way it did.