 One of the more iconic images of the Bang Rajan battles is when one of the Thai leaders, Nai Thong Men, became drunk and furiously rode a water buffalo into battle against the Burmese. That episode, and many more, were depicted in the 2000 Thai film, Bang Rajan. The village of Bang Rajan was historically located north of Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam and the predecessor state to modern Thailand. Image File history File links Bangrajan. ...
Image File history File links Bangrajan. ...
Binomial name Bubalus arnee (Kerr, 1792) The Water Buffalo is a very large ungulate and a member of the wild oxen family. ...
Ayutthaya (also spelled Ayudhya or Ayuthia) refers to The old capital of Thailand, see Ayutthaya (city) The province around the city, Ayutthaya province The ruins of the old palace, see Ayutthaya historical park Ayutthaya kingdom as the period of Thai history (1365-1768) in which Ayutthaya was capital This is...
For the country formerly called Siam see Thailand SIAM is an acronym for Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. ...
This article deals with the place of Bang Rajan in Thai history with regard to its resistance against the Burmese in the war which ultimately saw the destruction of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The kingdom of Ayutthaya was a Thai kingdom that existed from the 1350 to 1767. ...
In the year 1767 Burmese armies entered Siam. It would seem that there was no initial intent to annex land, rather the armies seemed to have no ambition other than plunder, however as they encountered little competent resistance from the Siamese and were allowed to push further towards the capital the aim of the invasion shifted towards that of conquest. 1767 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...
While Burmese accounts credit the invasion as having a deliberate and predetermined ambition - credited to the King Mang Ra other sources and analysts of the period (most notably Prince Damrong of Thailand) consider this to be historical revisionism and that the Burmese did not initially invade with the intention of permanent conquest or in possession of any aims regarding Ayutthaya itself. HRH Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (Thai including his full title: สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธภà¸à¸£à¸¡à¸žà¸£à¸°à¸¢à¸²à¸”ำรงราชานุภาพ) (June 21, 1862 – December 1, 1943) was the founder of the modern Thai education system as well as the modern provincial administration. ...
The Burmese forces encountered little competent resistance from the Siamese and advanced to within the vicinity of the capital but refused to attack due to uncertainty regarding the strength of the forces they would have to face. There was much raiding of the surrounding country and in addition to the general policy which required the submission of Siamese they began to demand the unmarried daughters of families as well, a policy which acted as a catalyst amongst the Thai people provoking them towards resistance.
The beginning of resistance and the first notable appearance of Bang Rajan occurred when a group of Thai from various villages - notably Sibuathong, Krap and Pho Thale - lead by Nai Thaen, Nai Choti, Nai In, Nai Muang, Nai Dok and Nai Thong Kaeo - lured a group of Burmese troops into a forest with the promise of unmarried daughters and then turned upon them, killing the entire group which numbered 20. After this they retreated to Bang Rajan where we are also told most of the population of villages Muang Wiset Chaichan, Muan Sing and Muang San had fled.
Bang Rajan is recorded as being ideally situated: "A place where foodstuffs were plentiful...a village on high ground and...it was difficult for the enemy to get at."
In addition to its ideal situation geographically and its position as a focus of those fleeing the Burmese, Bang Rajan had at this early point approximately 400 fighting men who elected five leaders amongst themselves and worked on the erection of fortifications. There was also a Buddhist priest, Themmachot, having been invited into the village monastery where he was held in great veneration by the inhabitants who believed him to have great knowledge and power with regard to spells, charms and other incantation.
The commanders of the Burmese army, camped at Muang Wiset Chaichan, were aware of the slaughter of their men by the Thais who had fled to Bang Rajan and sent a small force of about a 100 men to arrest them. The Burmese were taken by surprise when they were attacked while resting and were almost entirely wiped out by the force led by Nai Thaen, who had been elected leader of Bang Rachan.
News of this victory spread quickly across the country and resulted in many more people come out of hiding to join the rebellion, swelling the ranks camped within Bang Rajan to 1,000 fighting men. This amateur force was well organized along the lines of a professional military but despite this they were considerably disadvantaged by their lack of equipment, especially firearms, although this was countered to an extent by their great faith in the presence of the priest Thammachot and his various magic spells and talismans. The word amateur has at least two connotations. ...
Well aware that he was facing heavy resistance, the Burmese commander at Wiset Chaichanw requested reinforcements before sending another force again the villagers. But they were underestimated, as they managed to rout a second army of about 500 as well as a third force, again greater in numbers and under a new commander.
A pivotal event occurred during fourth attack on the village by a force of a 1,000 Burmese under Surin Chokhong. This force was not immediately defeated by the Thai villagers but their commander was killed and after much fighting the villagers retreated. At this point the casual, careless nature of the Burmese appeared once again as they lowered their guard to begin preparing food and caring for the corpse of their commander. Seeing this, the villagers quickly returned to the field and the surprised Burmese force was truly routed and lost most of its manpower due to the determined pursuit by the Thai villagers. While victorious again, the leader of Bang Rajan, Nai Thaen, was shot in the knee - an event which would have grave consequences for the resistance as it meant he was no longer capable of fighting or leading from the front.
The aftermath of this fourth battle saw both sides receive reinforcements, with Bang Rajan selecting a new leader to replace Nai Thaen - a fighter named Nai Chan who was famed for his ferocity and "bristling moustache". The fortunes of Bang Rajan remained good under Nai Chan which saw their forces increase and achieve ever greater levels of organization and their reputation grow to such extent that the Burmese came to fear them and the commanders had great trouble recruiting troops to send against the village.
After seven attacks and seven defeats, an eighth force, under a Mon commander who had lived in Siam, volunteered to take an army and promised to defeat Bang Rajan. What set this commander apart from the previous Burmese leaders was his knowledge of the land, the Siamese and his lack of arrogance - he did not underestimate the villagers and he adjusted his tactics to disadvantage them. He progressed slowly towards the village by building a series of forts along the route and when faced with the villagers refused to fight except from within these fortifications. Mon may refer to: Monday, the day of the week between Sunday and Tuesday mon (monster) in anime, a sort of monster character Môn or Anglesey, an island in Wales Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar Mon people, a Southeast Asian ethnicity Mon language Mon, India, a town in...
Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ...
Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ...
The lack of artillery was now crippling for the villagers as they could not destroy the forts built by the Burmese and they suffered great casualties from infantry assaults upon the forts. One of the Thai leaders - Nai Thong Men - became drunk and furious and upon a water buffalo, took a force of men and attacked the Burmese in what remains one of the iconic tales and images from the legend of the village. He was killed and his men routed - the first time the Burmese had defeated the villagers. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. An infantry is a body of soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other...
Binomial name Bubalus arnee (Kerr, 1792) The Water Buffalo is a very large ungulate and a member of the wild oxen family. ...
Bang Rajan sent for help from Ayutthaya in the form of cannons they could use against the forts but the capital displayed a diffidence typical of its strategy throughout the war and refused the request although a man, Phraya Rattanathibet, was sent to help them forge their own weapons. Unfortunately for the village, the guns they cast were cracked and useless. Soon after this Nai Then died of the wound to his knee and the other great leaders, Nai Chan and Khun San died of wounds taken while trying to take the Burmese forts. Ayutthaya (also spelled Ayudhya or Ayuthia) refers to The old capital of Thailand, see Ayutthaya (city) The province around the city, Ayutthaya province The ruins of the old palace, see Ayutthaya historical park Ayutthaya kingdom as the period of Thai history (1365-1768) in which Ayutthaya was capital This is...
The village was by now greatly dispirited and hopeless and now faced a siege by the Burmese in the form of cannon fire, siege towers and tunnelling under the village walls. Eventually the village was overrun despite resistance to the end - five months after the first act of rebellion and the only notable act of successful resistance by a Thai force in a war characterised by the failure of Ayutthuya and its professional armies.
Bang Rajan in the movies
Two Thai films about Bang Rajan have been made. One was in 1966 and it starred Sombat Metanee. More well known is the 2000 film by director Thanit Jitnukul. Oliver Stone adopted the film and "presented" screenings of it in the U.S. in 2004. // Events Top grossing films North America Thunderball Dr. Zhivago Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? That Darn Cat! The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming Academy Awards Best Picture: A Man for All Seasons - Highland, Columbia Best Actor: Paul Scofield - A Man for All Seasons Best Actress: Elizabeth Taylor...
Thai leading man Sombat Metanee has starred in more than 600 films, mostly in the 1960s and 70s. ...
This is a list of film-related events in 2000. ...
Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is an Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ...
For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ...
This is a list of film-related events in 2004. ...
Reference Rajanubhab, Prince Damrong. Our Wars with the Burmese: Thai-Burmese Conflict 1539-1767, ISBN 9747534584 HRH Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (Thai including his full title: สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธภà¸à¸£à¸¡à¸žà¸£à¸°à¸¢à¸²à¸”ำรงราชานุภาพ) (June 21, 1862 – December 1, 1943) was the founder of the modern Thai education system as well as the modern provincial administration. ...
External links The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ...
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