TWO PRIME MINISTERS IN A BRAWL BY THE RIVER: A BAD OMEN FOR SIAM

Abstract

There is an old saying in Thai that conflicts between senior ministers is inauspicious and could result in major occurrences. This suggests that conflicts between major political figures may not be uncommon in the long history of the kingdom. In fact, when investigating the political history of mainland Southeast Asia, there are cases as recent as the 1970s-1990s where ‘senior ministers’ conflicts bring disastrous consequences, first during the Vietnamese occupation (1978-92), and then when Prime Minister Hun Sen staged a coup to oust Prime Minister Ranariddh in 1997. Further back in history, in the reign of King Rama II (1809-24) of Siam, there was also a case of a minor conflict between Chao Phraya Maha Sena (Military Chief) and Chao Phraya Abhaya Bhuthon (Chief Minister of the Interior). The conflict originated from a minor scuffle between the entourages of the two senior ministers who were competing to pass the other’s procession, both being in a hurry to attend the same royal event. The physical altercation between the entourages caused a big enough scene to result in a formal investigation, though the court appointed judges eventually dismissed the case as a nonsensical spat between the harems of the two chief ministers. Nonetheless, such a conflict between senior ministers did appear to be highly inauspicious. Soon after, two of the royal white elephants died in quick succession, followed by the passing of King Rama II, and Chao Phraya Maha Sena himself perished in the early years of Rama III’s reign.