Name: Kanyapat Thongta, Nickname: Earn, Class: 1101

Colonisation between Thailand and Myanmar

Colonisation is the process of forming the settlement by the group of people who seeks to

take control of that countries or territories. It is involved large immigration of people who were

coming to take over the places. The expansion of their civilisation and culture is one of the

influences that would definitely happen when one country take control another country.

Colonisation had been happening long time ago. The conflicts started when one country want to

obtain the benefits from that country. It could be the resources, labour, and many other things that

could able to give them the most advantages. The colonisation usually ended up with the violence

that results in the great number of death.

Thailand is the only country in South East Asia that was never colonised by any European

countries, therefore this country has its own unique and great culture and language without the

influence from the Europeans. Thailand was never colonised by any other nations. As we all over

the world know that it was the only in South East Asia. Other countries nearby Thailand were

controlled by either British and French. For the impact on the culture, being independence opens the

opportunity for Thai people in the society to create their own cultures. For this reason, Thai people

have their own language that they have been using until nowadays. For the impact on political, it

clearly sees that Thai people had their own choices to choose the form of the government to protect

their people right, and maintain peace. At the time when other countries nearby Siam country were

conquered by the Europeans, Thailand tended to have their own form of leader which was monarch.

The king was Rama V who played a great role for Thai people in the past and even now and so on.

During the time when the Europeans wanted to take over Thailand, the king at that time was

performing a good duty to protect the peaceful and happiness of Thai people. Thailand is the

abundant place where there is full of needed resources that could able to grow rice and make huge
profits meaning that Thailand would be the place where the Europeans could get tons of advantages

if they succeed the taking over. Thailand had an intelligent king that could able to be independence.

Myanmar was one of the countries which had been colonised by the Europeans. Myanmar

people were controlled by the British people, and then Myanmar or Burma were annexed as a

province of British India. The Scottish Colony is the another name that refers to Burma according to

the heavy role played by Scotsmen in colonising and running the country. During the colonisation,

British began to permeate the ancient Burmese culture with foreign elements. Myanmar people

were forced to speak and learn English as a main language in their country. Culture and tradition of

the foreigners were one of the effects that was caused by the colonisation. For the impact on

economics, Burma was the wealthiest country in South East Asia under British Rule. Colony seen

much as a backwater. 75% of worlds teak came from Myanmar. One of the worlds largest rice

exporting regions and product the sold on world market. British utilised resources and left little in

return Britishs economics was great. Trading made economics flow freely for British but

unfortunately not for the Myanmar people. For the effect on education, Burmese people were force

to study the basic needed for literature, the monastic education aimed to transmit the traditional

cultural, moral, and religious values of the community and society by the country that came and

colonised. (Cady, 1958) For these reasons, people in Burma could able to speak English until now.

For all the things that have happened to the Burma people, it shows that how the colonisation of

other nations impact how people in the past and in the present live within the society. For the impact

on political structure, it caused this Burma country to have variety of political structures. The

country was conquered by the Chief Commissioners which were Arthur Auves Phayre, Frederick

William Richard Fryer. The other form of governance was monarch which the kings were Edward

VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI. Another governance was in the form of Governor which

had the leaders named Harcourt Butler, Hubert Rance.

 For the conclusion, it clearly notices that colonisation plays a important role to many factors

that could affect how the economics, political, culture perform in each society. The affects are not

only shown in the past, but it also continues to be affected in the present. Thailand is one of a good

country that can examined what being independence looks like as it is the only country in South

East Asia that have never been colonised by the Europeans.

Reference

Charney, Michael(2009). A History of Modern Burma. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_rule_in_Burma

McLeod, Kevin(2010). History of Burma. Retrieved from http://www.cfob.org/

HistoryofBurma/historyOfBurma.shtml

Steinberg, David (2016). The Initial Impact of Colonialism. Retrieved from https://

global.britannica.com/place/Myanmar/The-initial-impact-of-colonialism

Hays, Jeffrey (2013). British Rule of Burma. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails.com/

southeast-asia/Myanmar/sub5_5a/entry-3007.html