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Written by Richard Barrow
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Monday, 06 April 2009 |
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Samut Prakan was built as a frontier town to protect the approach to Bangkok further up-river. Its importance grew due to its s tragic position at the river mouth. Walls were built along the river and forts were built at various locations. Many of these are now in a very dilapidated state or have been built over. However, a few remain in a good state and along the river bank on both sides are cannons left over from this period. The six main forts are as follows: - Phra Chulachomklao Fort (in good condition and open to the public)
- Plaeng Faifah Fort (now a park in Phra Pradaeng)
- Phi Sua Samut Fort (can be seen on the island between Paknam Market and Phra Samut Chedi)
- Nakarat Fort
- Pracone Chai Fort
The following is a report of a visit to the Phra Chulachomklao Fort in June 1893, by Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns, General Adviser to the King: "For a long time we inspect the considerable work on the fort which, by its position, commands the river mouth and approximately a mile and a half of its course. There are seven brick towers, each equipped with a heavy caliber Armstrong gun. The masonry is completed. It only needs to be covered with a casing of earth and grass.
A mile into the sea there is a target on which they fire three shots with one gun and two with another. The charge of each shot is from 25 to 30 pounds of powder. The guns are hidden. They are hauled up by a hydraulic mechanism at the moment of the aiming and they disappear by themselves after the shot. The sight of this big, sly machine which ambushes and takes aim like a brigand to hide immediately thereafter, has something ferocious about it."
The following month, on July 13th 1893, a skirmish took place between two French ships and the garrison manning the fort. Both sides suffered casualties. Although a smaller ship which was acting as a pilot boat for the French ships was badly damaged, the gun-ships still successfully bypassed the fort and other Thai gun-ships and made it up-river to Bangkok. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 01 May 2009 |
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Written by Richard Barrow
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Monday, 06 April 2009 |
 |  | | Display at Phra Chulachomklao Fort | King Rama V visiting the fort in 1893 |
During the second half of the nineteenth century, countries in Southeast Asia were under pressure and threat from Western powers. With their mighty fleets, England and France were able to seize almost all the autonomous states in this part of the world. Thailand was the only kingdom in the Indochina Peninsula that managed to survive as an independent state amid the colonial expansion of the Wet. The Thais were more fortunate than their neighbours in that Kings Nang Klao, Mongkut and Chulalongkorn, as well as the elite, realized that they needed a cautious foreign policy in dealing with Western countries, especially England and France. Laos and Cambodia had been Thai vassal states since the days of Ayutthaya, though they occasionally tried to secede. Then in the mid-19th century, France, with Vietnam under its control, started to exert more and more power over Cambodia to compete with England and to establish dominance over the Mekong, which would serve as a route from Yunnan to the sea. The French sent troops into territories on the left bank of the Mekong River. After seizing the outlying regions of Cambodia in 1863, the French turned their attention to Laos, which was a Thai vassal state. The Thai government was greatly concerned over border problems because the boundaries of the Lao states were not fixed. Moreover, they were of dual allegiance as their rulers acknowledged both Thai and Vietnamese suzerainty. Since neither of the two countries had exclusive control over these states, the French were able to lay claim over Sipsong Chu Thai and Hua Phan Thang Hok as the successor to Vietnam’s rights over them. The French pretext for exerting their influence and advancing into Laos, which eventually led to the 1893 crisis, stemmed from the activities of the Ho raiders (fugitive rebels from China from 1875 to 1887). In suppressing the Ho, Bangkok established suzerainty over Laos states with military expeditions and supervision of their civil administration. At one time, King Chulalongkorn sent a large army equipped with modern weapons into Laos to crush the rebels. The French in the meantime were suppressing the Ho in Tonkin. They sent troops into Laos on the pretext that they were in pursuit of the Ho who fled there. A dispute erupted with France over the Lao border and escalated to the extent that it led to the engagement, or 1893 crisis, at Paknam. The Period Prior to the Engagement  | 
| The Armstrong Gun in the "crouching" position
| Observers and the raised gun ready to shoot | In 1889 and 1892 Monsieur Auguste Pavie was appointed consul and then minister to Bangkok respectively. He used military pressure in an effort to force the Thais to agree that territories from Vietnam to the Mekong were under French control, but they refused. On March 14, 1893, the Lutin, a French gunboat, arrived and moored in the Chao Phraya in front of the French legation. The reason given for its presence was to protect the interest of French nationals in Thailand and it was said that the visit would exceed seven days. However, it refused to leave. A week passed. Another ship, the Comete, came to bring food supplies to the crew of the Lutin and prepared for naval action. On April 10, 1893, King Chulalongkorn went to inspect Chulachomklao fort. Towards the end of April 1893, the king ordered the navy to make preparations for defense against the encroachment of Thai sovereignty. Phraya Chonlayut Yothin, vice commander-in-chief of the naval forces, was made director of the defence of Paknam. He devised a plan of action to halt the passage of French warships at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River as follows: 1. Old guns at Chulachomklao and Phisua Samut forts were to be replaced by modern 6 inch Wigger Armstrong guns. Telephone lines were ordered to be laid between the forts for communications. Preparations were made to halt the entry of the French warships.
2. Nine war vessels were put on the alert to the North of Chulachomklao Fort. Most of them were either antiquated or just river steamers. Only two were up-to-date: The Makut Rachakuman and the Muratha Wasitsawat.
3. Barriers were to be placed across the mouth of the Chao Phraya, such as sinking boats loaded with stone to narrow the channel, and creating minefields.
Later on, other powers sent in ships to protect their interests, such as the Sumbawa of the Netherlands and the Wolf of Germany. Towards the end of June 1893, the following arrangements were made to defend the capital, including areas outside the city wall: On duty was a regular army 2,600 strong, with a reinforcement force of 1,000 men, 34 howitzers, and 9 miscellaneous big guns. Reinforcements and modern weapons were sent to strategic places such as Rayong, Laem Singh (Chanthaburi), Laem Ngop (Trat) and Ko Kong (Trat).
On July 1, 1893, England send the Pallas from Singapore. The ship moored at the bar to protect British nationals and their interests, without any sign that it would give assistance to the Thais.
On July 4, 1893, King Chulalongkorn made a private visit. He observed the howitzer firing practice.
On July 10, 1893, the French asked that the sloop Inconstant, and the gunboat Comete be allowed to cross the bar at the mouth of the river. Though the Thais refused entry, the French did not listen.
The Engagement at Paknam on July 13, 1893  | 
| Shooting at the French Ships
| The two French ships and the local pilot ship | The Makut Ratchakuman and the Narubent Butri were getting ready to receive the Archduke of Austria. On hearing that he had not yet arrived, and that the latest news was that two French gunboats had arrived at the bar, Phraya Chonlayut Yothin ordered a full alert. Ships were positioned along the Paknam defence line: the Makut Ratchakuman, the Narubent Butri and the Thun Kramon on the west of the channel, the Muratha Wisitsawat and the Han Hak on the east. One more cargo boat was sunk at the defence line. More mines were laid, a total of only 16. The order was that should a French ship enter the defence line, Chulalongkorn Fort would fire three warning shots. If it did not stop, a fourth shot would be fired and the boats could start firing. When the French fleet consisting of the J.B. Say, a pilot boat, the Inconstant, and the Comete, arrived at the Paknam bar. Mr. Jackson, a Thai pilot of Britsh nationality, boarded the J.B. Say. Captain Will, a Thai port inspector of German nationality who took the Akkarat Woradet to Paknam, bordered the Inconstant to tell Commander Borey not to proceed up the river. Captain Edward received orders from the commander of the Pallas, a British ship moored in the Paknam area, to board the Inconstant with th message that the French minister ordered French boats to drop anchor at thebar. The French commander refused to obey. All of the officers left except Jackson, who had to pilot the ship. Captain Will raised the signal flag for Chulachomklao Fort to be on full alert. At 6.15 p.m. it stopped raining. From the fort, French ships could be seen passing the lighthouse. Everyone was ordered to take battle stations. At 6.30 p.m. the French ships reached the Black Buoy. Chulachomklao Fort fired two warning shots. The Thais did not want to be regarded as the party that started the war. When the warning shots had no effect, a third shot was fired with live ammunition to fall in front of the ship as a warning. Another shot was fired to fall at the front of the ship too. The French ships moved on, flying the French flag, an indication that they took battle stations. Then they started firing at Chulachomklao Fort. The fort began training guns on the target. The French ships did not exchange fire as they were quite a distance away. Later, the J.B. Say was hit, and the Inconstant was, too, with its davits broken. There were casualties. At 6.43 p.m. the French started firing back. At 6.50 p.m. the French ships approached the defence line. The Makhut Ratchakuman and the Muratha Wasitsawat fired at the French ships. A boat launched an explosive mine but it missed the target. The J.B. Say was hit by cannon balls and ran aground at Laem Lamphu Rai. The Inconstant and the Comete moved on and dropped anchor in front of the French Legation in Bangkok.
The Aftermath of the Paknam Crisis
On July 16, 1893, twelve French warships were sent to blockade the Gulf of Thailand.
On July 29, 1893, the French occupied Chantaburi to force the Thais to sign a peace treaty requiring that Thailand do the following: Cede Sipsong Chu Thai and territory on the left bank of the Mekong. They also had to pay an indemnity.
In 1903 the French pulled their troops out of Chantaburi and went on to occupy Trat.
During this time, Western nations that had dealings with Thailand such as England, Germany, and the Netherlands, were all anxious about their interests. They sent warships to keep a close watch on the situation. The French therefore did not dare to be rough.
In 1906 the French pulled all their troops out of Thai territory.
The Importance of the 1893 Engagement
The exchange of gunfire between the forts and Thai war boats and French gunboats on July 13, 1893 was very brief and caused little damage in terms of life and property. However, it had several immediate outcomes with long lasting effects as follows:
The start of negotiations between Thailand and France.
The French stopped using force in the long disputes about territories on the left bank of the Mekong.
Territorial loss of about one third of the kingdom to France on three occasions. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 16 April 2009 |
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Written by Richard Barrow
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Monday, 06 April 2009 |
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The first railway in Thailand was a private line connecting Bangkok with Paknam at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, a distance of 21 kms. Paknam at the time was the anchorage for sea-going ships that could not reach Bangkok. Work on the line was begun in 1887 and it was opened to traffic by the king on 11 April 1893. Besides the two terminals in Bangkok and Paknam it had ten intermediate stations, several of which boasted sidings. The terminals had 40 metre long wooden roofs, covering two lines as well as the main buildings and offices. The manager was a European who had his office at Paknam.
The metre-gauge line was intended for both goods and passenger traffic, passenger trains consisting of four coaches plus a brake van and offering second and third class accommodation. The distance was covered in one hour and the line crossed the many klongs and other waterways on its route on wooden bridges, some of which were of mixed wood/iron construction. The line clearly met an existing need and within a few years it showed a handsome rate of return upon the capital invested.
Though the Paknam line was a Belgian-Danish joint venture, all locomotives were built by Kraus of Munich. The Paknam line possessed four locomotives. The no. 2 engine pictured has the name Paknam. Total weight in working order of these engines was 15 tonnes.
When traffic volumes ultimately did develop to a higher level, after World War I, the Paknam railway was converted to electric traction. Streetcar-type railcars then became the predominant traffic vehicles, the light steam locomotives being disposed of. (The picture shows one of the Japanese built railcars at Paknam during the 1950's.)
During World War II, the Paknam tram was damaged when its cables were cut at Bang Chak. But the tram still ran. A tram conductor would climb up on the roof to guide the trolley across the cut section, and would reconnect it to make the tram continue.
The line was nationalised after World War II and then finally closed in 1959. This brought to an end the history of Thailand first railway and first full-length electric railway.
Source of information: 'The Railways of Thailand' by R. Ramer and published by White Lotus. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 30 April 2009 |
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Written by Richard Barrow
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Monday, 06 April 2009 |
 |  | City Hall
| Paknam Market
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Samut Prakarn was built between 1620-1628 in the Ayuttaya era. The original site for the city was on the west side of the river where Phra Pradaeng is today. It was a sea port for foreign merchandise ships that traded with Thailand. After the capital was moved to Bangkok in the late 18th Century there was a need to fortify the approach from the sea. King Rama I had the Wittayakom Fort erected on the left bank. Today the site is now occupied by Phra Pradaeng Nursing Home.
King Rama II saw the need to strengthen the fortifications, town moats and town walls. Many of these had been built during the Ayuttaya period and had long since dilapidated or been pulled down. A growing conflict with Vietnam made the task more urgent. In 1819 he commanded to have Samut Prakarn re-located across the river at Paknam in order to help guard against possible attacks from the sea. Gun batteries were built on both sides of the river as well as on a small mud island.  |  | Phra Samut Chedi
| Bang Pu Seaside Resort |
For many years Paknam was just a small fishing village. A contemporary report in the mid 1660's reported that there were only a handful of bamboo huts and no facilities for repairing ships at Paknam. However, its key position at the river mouth meant that it soon grew in importance. All ships coming up the river had to first stop at Paknam to let aboard a customs officer. For a period of time all ships had to also unload all of their guns here, before proceeding up river to Bangkok. One of the first views Europeans had when they first arrived by boat in Thailand was a brilliant white pagoda [see Phra Samut Chedi ] which sat on a mud island in the middle of the river. Work started on the temple in the reign of Rama II and was completed after his death in 1828.  The First Telegraph Service The telegraph was first used in Thailand between Bangkok and Samut Prakan in 1875 during the reign of King Rama V. The total distance was 45 kilometres. Later, this cable was further extended to reach the Pu Rai Peninsula which included a submarine cable connecting the lighthouse located on the river delta. The purpose was to enable the lighthouse to report on shipping traffic arriving and departing Chao Phraya River. The First Telephone Service Later, the first telephone service was introduced in 1891. This line connected the Ministry of Defence in Bangkok with Phra Chulachomklao Fortress in Samut Prakan. The telephone greatly improved communication between Bangkok and this strategic fort, as it enabled instant reports by naval personnel of any untoward or hostile foreign naval activities which might penetrate up the Chao Phraya. Towards the end of the 19th Century many of the forts were again falling into a state of disrepair. King Rama V was worried about the British and the French who were rapidly colonising much of the surrounding countries. He had the foresight to start construction of another fort which would protect the entrance to the estuary.  |  | Naval Academy
| Local Festival
| The Paknam Incident
The Phra Chulachomklao Fortress, or Paknam Fort, was built on the west side of the river at the entrance to the estuary. It was armed with seven Armstrong guns and the fort was commanded by a Danish captain. Work was completed during 1893. It was finished just in time as during that year Thailand was in territorial dispute with France over Laos. Within a few months of opening, the fort faced its first and only battle.
On July 13th 1893, a skirmish took place between two French ships and the garrison manning the fort. Both sides suffered casualties. Although a smaller ship which was acting as a pilot boat for the French ships was badly damaged, the gun-ships still successfully bypassed the fort and other Thai gun-ships and made it up-river to Bangkok.
The Paknam Railway The first railway in Thailand ran from Paknam to Bangkok. The contract was given to a Danish company, Paknam Railway Company, in 1886, to build the railway. Work on the metre gauge railway started in 1887 and continued for six years. It was formerly opened on 11th April 1893. It carried both freight and passengers on the 21 kilometre track to Bangkok. There were four services a day and the one hour journey stopped at ten stations along the way. In the year that it first opened, Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns wrote about a train trip from Bangkok to Paknam. "The route to Paknam is more interesting than I thought. One crosses not only through rice-fields but also through palm tree plantations. At a certain moment, the track borders the river and one has a rather beautiful view of Paknam." After running for about forty years, the line was electrified and replaced with railcars. These continued to run up until 1960 when the line was pulled up. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 06 April 2009 |
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