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via Bangkok Post, 08 March 2021: The interactions between the Portuguese, French and Dutch on the kingdom of Ayutthaya.
Westerners were prominent in Ayutthaya, the former capital of the kingdom of Siam, in centuries past. They left historical records, architecture, language and cultural links of their contact with Iudea, as it was known at the time. Today they help us understand the area’s history and Thailand’s policies on international relations.
“Ayutthaya is a multicultural society but there were clear conditions in the use of land. Churches could be set up but permission was needed, trading was allowed but had to be done via a system under the Treasury Department,” said Assoc Prof Predee Phisphumvidhi, deputy dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts.
Foreign community settlement and access by foreign ships was limited to the south of the Ayutthaya city island with Pom Phet (Diamond Fortress) as the final line. Foreign ships had to anchor for inspection and unloading. In terms of security, those ships might contain weapons so they would not be allowed to go nearer the inner city.
