Never colonised: เอกราช in Thai identity

Thai schoolchildren learn that their country is the only one in Southeast Asia that was never colonised by a Western power. Historians explain it through skilled diplomacy, modernising reforms under Kings Mongkut and Chulalongkorn, and Siam's position as a buffer between British Burma and French Indochina. It came at a price: Siam gave up claims to large territories in present-day Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia around 1900. เอกราช 'independence' is a source of pride you will hear in speeches and songs. In conversation, it's fine to ask about it with curiosity: คนไทยภูมิใจเรื่องนี้ไหม. Avoid comparing Thailand's history with its neighbours' in ways that sound like ranking.