During the reign
of King Rama III (1824 - 1851), Prince Anuwongse or in s
hort
Prince Anu of Laos wanted to free Vientiane from subordination to Bangkok.
Even though he himself got help from King Rama III in his rule of Vientiane,
in 1827 he rebelled against Bangkok and took Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat),
while his forward troops ransacked Sara Buri.
Suddenly to his surprise,
during his return journey, he was one day attacked by the residents
of these two towns whom he was taking as prisoners. Among these prisoners,
there were the Deputy Governor (Phraya Palat) and his brave wife named
Mo. Mo arranged her women to use their feminine charm in encouraging
the Laotian troops to get drunk. They then slipped away to release the
male prisoners who subsequently killed almost all of the drunken foes
and set free all the prisoners. Two Thai armies went in pursuit of Prince
Anu who then fled to Vietnam while the Thai armies occupied Vientiane.
In recognition of her bravery,
King Rama III honoured her as Thao Suranari. To this day, she is revered
by all Thai people particularly the Northeasterners who consider themselves
as her grandsons and granddaughters and call her with respect as Grandma
"Mo" or "Ya Mo" in Thai. Her statue stands in Korat
and is worshipped by people from all walks of life daily. Every year
in late March or early April a 10 - day Thao Suranari Fair is held in
her honour.
Click here
to see me visiting the statue during summer holidays 2002.
-----------------------------
This
story comes from "Essays on Thailand" by Thanapol
Chadchaidee. It is used here with his permission. The book contains
60 essays about Thailand written in Thai and English.
