Portugal | Thailand |
---|---|
Diplomatic mission | |
Embassy of Portugal, Bangkok | Royal Thai Embassy, Lisbon |
Envoy | |
Ambassador Francisco Vaz Patto | Ambassador Krongkanit Rakcharoen |
Relations between Portugal and Thailand date as far as the 16th century. Portugal was the first European nation to make contact with the Ayutthaya Kingdom, in 1511. The Portuguese became dominant foreign traders, and established a presence in the capital. Portuguese traders introduced firearms as well as New-World goods from the Columbian Exchange, influencing Thai cuisine, language and culture. Although Portugal's overseas influence gradually declined from the 17th century, it maintained ties with Siam. The Portuguese Embassy in Bangkok, established in 1820, is the oldest diplomatic mission in the country. In contrast to other European powers, against whose colonial aspirations Siam struggled during the 19th century, Siam's relationship with Portugal was largely friendly. Both countries elevated their missions to embassy status in 1964, and Thailand established a resident embassy in Lisbon in 1981. Today, the two countries share a small amount of trade, tourism and cultural activities. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In 1498, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama became the first European to reach India by sea, enabling the Portuguese to establish holdings across Asia. The first written mention of Siam by the Portuguese was written by Rui de Araújo to Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510. [5] In 1511, Afonso de Albuquerque led the Portuguese capture of Malacca. While they were still assaulting the city, Albuquerque had sent in July Duarte Fernandes as an envoy to the Ayutthaya Kingdom. [6] Arriving in October to Siam along with two Chinese captains, he became the first Portuguese to arrive in the country. [5] His mission to the court of King Ramathibodi II was successful, and Fernandes returned with several gifts and letters from Ramathibodi II addressed to Albuquerque and King Manuel I of Portugal. [7] [8] The Portuguese then sent two other envoys, one led by Antonio Miranda de Azevedo in 1512 and another in 1516 led by Duarte de Coelho. [5] Coelho's mission promised to supply guns and ammunition to the Siamese in exchange for Portugal being allowed to establish settlements in Siam, engage with them in trade, and freely practice Christianity. [9] [10] Coelho's mission also highlighted the desire for Siamese traders to replace Arab traders who had left Malacca following its capture by Portugal. [11] In 1518, Portugal and Siam signed a Treaty of Friendship and Commerce. [12]
There were also Portuguese trade representatives in Ligor and Pattani appointed to oversee trade in benzoin, indigo, ivory, lac, rice, tin, and sappan wood. [11] In 1538 during the reign of King Chairacha 120 Portuguese soldiers marched with the King on campaign against his enemies and were rewarded commercial privileges and living quarters in Ayutthaya, establishing Campos Portugues. [13] Subsequently, in the 16th century, around 300 Portuguese settled around Ayutthaya, with some as traders and others as soldiers. [11] By 1767, Campos Portugues' population grew to over 3,000. [14] During the 1547-1549 Burmese–Siamese War, Portuguese mercenaries fought for both Burma and Siam, with notable mercenaries fighting for Siam including Galeote Pereira. [11] Siam again enlisted Portuguese mercenaries to defend Tavoy and Tenasserim in 1613 and 1614 during the 1609-1622 Burmese-Siamese War. [15]
In 1545, Fernão Mendes Pinto began exploring parts of Siam, where he became the first European to described Phuket in detail, which was called then by Westerners as 'Junk Ceylon'. [9] Pinto then returned to Siam for a second trip in 1554, where he described Ayutthaya as being like Venice as "one travels more by water than one does by land." [5] The first Roman Catholic missionaries to Siam were Portuguese chaplains Friar Jeronimo da Cruz and Sebastiâo da Canto of the Dominican Order, who established a parish in Ayutthaya before Jeronimo da Cruz was killed in the Burmese Siege of Ayutthaya in 1569. [16] The first Portuguese Jesuit missionary to Ayutthaya was led by Balthasar Sequeira around 1606. [11] Also in 1606, a Siamese embassy was sent to the Portuguese Viceroy in Goa. [17]
During the 17th century, Portuguese dominance over trade in Southeast Asia was being challenged by the Dutch. Prior to this, the Portuguese were very favoured by the Siamese court and dominated trade with little competition. [5] However, official relations between the Netherlands and Siam began in 1604, [18] and through the reign of King Ekathotsarot, Portuguese influence in Siam was undermined by the Dutch. This was not exclusive to Siam, as the Portuguese Empire when it was part of the Iberian Union from 1580 to 1640 faced issues with the Dutch, particularly in the Dutch–Portuguese War from 1598 to 1663. [5]
The 17th century also saw hostilities between the Portuguese and Siamese. In 1624, the Portuguese captured a Dutch ship in Siamese waters, causing King Songtham to force the Portuguese to release it. In 1628, the Portuguese sunk a Siamese junk. [11] By the end of Songtham's reign, the Portuguese were seen distrustful. When Prasat Thong usurped the throne in 1629, he imprisoned almost all Portuguese in Siam for three years. [17] In July 1633, Sebastian Moutos d’Avilla was sent by the Portuguese in Malacca to request the release of Portuguese prisoners. Prasat Thong accepted this request, but Sebastian Moutos d’Avilla decided to escape with the prisoners in September. [19] Although isolated, Prasat Thong maintained friendly relations with the Dutch who promised to assist him against the Portuguese and Cambodians. [17]
Despite sour relations in the first half of the 17th century, relations improved during the reign of King Narai. In 1674, he allowed the Portuguese to build a church in modern-day Bangkok which became the Immaculate Conception Church, Thailand's oldest Catholic church. [14] In 1685, Portuguese embassy led by Pero Vaz de Siqueira arrived in Siam from Goa, with the goal of gaining extraterritoriality for Portuguese subjects in Siam and settling disputes with French missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. It failed to achieve both goals, but Narai had sent his own mission to Portugal prior to Siqueira's arrival. The Siamese mission to Portugal however only managed to reach the Dutch Cape Colony after being stuck in Goa for a year and getting shipwrecked off Cape Agulhas in early 1686. [20]
Following the fall of Ayutthaya and the establishment of the Chakri dynasty in 1782, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to re-establish relations with Siam, offering guns and ammunition. [21] In 1786, Rama I sent a request of 3,000 muskets to the Portuguese government in Goa, and granted the Portuguese land on the Chao Phraya's river in Bangkok called 'the Rosary'. As the community at Campos Portugues was destroyed by the Burmese during the 1765-1767 Burmese-Siamese War, the Portuguese diaspora in Siam relocated around three areas: Samsen, Kudi Chin and the Rosary (Talat Noi). [22] The land at Kudi Chin had been granted to the Portuguese by King Taksin in 1770. [23]
In 1818, Portuguese envoy Carlos Manuel Silveira arrived in Bangkok from Macao where he concluded a commercial agreement between Siam and Portugal. He subsequently became the first resident Portuguese consul in Siam. [17] In 1820, a Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Trade between Portugal and Siam was signed. [24] Also during 1820, Rama II granted land near the Rosary to the Portuguese to build a factory and the residence for Silveira. [22] In 1860, the Embassy of Portugal was constructed on the same land, becoming the oldest embassy of a European nation in Thailand. [14]
Modern treaties signed between Portugal and Thailand include the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation signed in Bangkok on 10 February 1869 and negotiated by Isidoro Francisco Guimarães, the Convention for the regulation of the import and sale of spirituous beverages in Siam signed in Lisbon on 14 May 1883, a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation signed in Lisbon on 14 August 1925 and again on 21 July 1938, a cultural agreement and a treaty of cooperation in the execution of penal sentences signed in Lisbon on 1 April 1985, an agreement for cooperation in the field of tourism signed in Bangkok on 9 March 1989, an agreement for scientific and technological cooperation signed in Bangkok on 9 March 1989, and an agreement for scientific and technological cooperation signed in Bangkok on 22 August 2001. [10]
According to The Observatory of Economic Complexity, both nation's top 5 exports to each other in 2022 are listed below: [25]
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In 2015, around 250 companies exported goods from Portugal to Thailand. [26]
In 2015, around 30,000 Portuguese tourists visited Thailand, [26] growing to 52,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. The pandemic and its effects saw this drop to 42,000 Portuguese tourists visiting in 2023. [27] Between January and April 2024, the number of Portuguese tourists visiting Thailand surged 44% from 2023 numbers, a greater growth than most European countries. [28] Portugal was among the 93 countries granted a 60-day visa-free entry by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin in July 2024. [29]
The number of Thai tourists visiting Portugal is smaller, with 10,000 visiting Portugal in 2015. [26]
The Embassy of Portugal in Bangkok is located along Captain Bush Lane overlooking the Chao Phraya river. First established in 1820 as a consulate, it is the oldest diplomatic mission of a European nation in Thailand. The consulate was headed by Portugal's first permanent envoy to Siam, Carlos Manuel Silveira. [30] Construction on the modern embassy began in 1860 and finished in 1875. [31]
The current ambassador of Portugal to Thailand has been João Bernardo de Oliveira Martins Weinstein since January 2021, receiving his credentials from King Vajiralongkorn in April 2021. Weinstein had previously served as Portugal's ambassador to Romania, Moldova (non-resident), and Israel. As ambassador to Thailand, he is also accredited to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam. [32]
Thailand established a resident embassy in Lisbon in 1981. The current Thai ambassador to Portugal is Krongkanit Rakcharoen. [33]
Several buildings in the Old Town area of Phuket were constructed in a Sino-Portuguese architectural style. [34] Majority of these were constructed in the early 1900s following the arrival of Chinese immigrants employed by the Portuguese, [35] and a fire in 1903 which meant many buildings were rebuilt in a Sino-Portuguese style. [36]
The Jardim Vasco da Gama in Belém, Lisbon, contains a Thai pavilion gifted by the Thai government. The pavilion was inaugurated in 2012 by Princess Sirindhorn in recognition of 500 years of Portuguese-Thai relations. [32]
The Portuguese have had a significant impact on the cuisine of Thailand. Trade with Siam in the 16th and 17th centuries introduced several plants and foods originally from the Americas, such as cassava, chillies, papayas, pineapples, sunflowers, and sweet potatoes. [14] Some, like chillies, are now integral parts of Thai cuisine. [37] [38]
Maria Guyomar de Pinha - a woman of mixed Japanese, Portuguese and Bengali ancestry raised in Siam - created many Thai desserts derived or influenced from Portuguese cuisine during the Ayutthaya period. Out of the nine auspicious Thai desserts, five of them were believed to have been created or adapted by Maria Guyomar from Portuguese desserts - thong yip from trouxas das caldas, [39] thong yot and thong ek from ovos moles , [40] [41] foi thong from fios de ovos , [42] and Khanom met khanun, where the Portuguese influenced how it was made. [43] Other Thai food influenced by the Portuguese include luk chup from massapão, [44] curry puffs, thong muan , sangkhaya, sangkhaya fakthong, [45] Khanom phing, [46] and Khanom mo kaeng. [47]
The Portuguese community at Kudi Chin also created several new dishes by blending Portuguese cuisine with the local cuisine of the area - primarily Chinese and Thai. One of them is Khanom farang kudi chin, a sponge cake derived from Portuguese and Chinese cake styles. By 2018, only three families at Kudi Chin made the cake in the traditional way that had been passed down from the original Portuguese settlers. [48]
Several words in Thai are loanwords borrowed over from Portuguese. This includes words such as "sa-bùu" (Thai : สบู่; RTGS: Sabu) from "sabão" (“soap”); "bpang" (Thai : ปัง; RTGS: Pang) from "pão" ("bread"); [14] "ka-la-mae" (Thai : กะละแม; RTGS: Kalamae) from "caramelo" (caramel); "krít-sà-dtang" (Thai : คริสตัง; RTGS: Khrittang), meaning 'Roman Catholic' from "cristão", meaning Christian; "sǎn-dtà-bpaa-bpaa" (Thai : สันตะปาปา; RTGS: Santa Papa) from "santo papa" (pope); and "rǐian" (Thai : เหรียญ; RTGS: Rian) from "real" (coin). [12]
During early contact between Siam and the Europeans, Portuguese was used as a lingua franca between Europeans and the Siamese. Some treaties that used Portuguese as a lingua franca include the Siamese–American Treaty of Amity and Commerce. [49]
According to Francisco de Assis Morais e Cunha Vaz Patto, ambassador of Portugal to Thailand from November 2015 to January 2021, the Thai expat community in Portugal was around 1,200 to 1,300 people. [26]
In 1540, King Chairachathirat rewarded 120 Portuguese mercenaries for their service against the Burmese by granting them land south of Ayutthaya in modern-day Samphao Lom. This later developed into the centre of the Portuguese community in Siam called 'Portuguese Village' (Portuguese : Campos Portugues). [15] Situated on the Chao Phraya river's west bank, its population grew to 3,000 by 1767. [14] Most likely the largest European community in Siam at the time, the Portuguese diaspora in Siam consisted of militiamen, shipbuilders, and merchants.
Following the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, the Portuguese regathered at three locations in Bangkok: around the Immaculate Conception Church in the Samsen area, Santa Cruz Church in Kudi Chin, and Holy Rosary Church in Talat Noi. Their descendants have gradually assimilated into Thai society, though the community, especially at Kudi Chin, still retains a distinctive identity. [50] According to Portuguese ambassadors Vaz Patto and Weinstein, the number of Portuguese people living in Thailand in 2015 was around 1,000, dropping to around 200 in 2021, and then growing to 500 in 2023. [26] [32] [24] Notable people of the Portuguese community include Francis Chit, an early Thai photographer who worked for people such as Kings Mongkut and Chulalongkorn.
The first Roman Catholic missionaries to Siam were Portuguese chaplains Friar Jeronimo da Cruz and Sebastiâo da Canto of the Dominican Order, who arrived in Ayutthaya in 1567. Following the Dominicans, the Franciscans arrived in Siam between 1582 and 1767. They were then followed by Jesuit missionary Balthasar Sequeira around 1606/07. [16] [11] During this time, Siam was tolerant of Christianity in comparison to other Asian nations like China or Vietnam who persecuted Christians. In 1669, the Papacy in Rome issued a papal bull giving the apostolic vicars that had resided in Siam for the previous years authority over all Catholics in Siam. When French missionaries arrived in 1662, the Catholic community estimated at 2,000 was served by ten Portuguese priests and one Spanish priest. Although mostly tolerated, there were periods of persecution such as during the reign of King Phetracha. In 1785, there were 413 Catholics of Portuguese origin concentrated around the Santa Cruz church in Kudi Chin. [16] procession taking a royal
The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Mon and later Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. European travellers in the early 16th century called Ayutthaya one of the three great powers of Asia. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is considered to be the precursor of modern Thailand, and its developments are an important part of the history of Thailand.
King Narai the Great or Ramathibodi III was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Prasat Thong dynasty. He was the king of Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous king of the Prasat Thong dynasty.
The Pa Sak River is a river in central Thailand. The river originates in the Phetchabun Mountains, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, and passes through Phetchabun Province as the backbone of the province. It then passes through the eastern part of Lopburi Province and Saraburi Province, until it joins the Lopburi River northeast of Ayutthaya Island, before it runs into the Chao Phraya River southeast of Ayutthaya near Phet Fortress. It has a length of 513 km (319 mi) and drains a watershed of 16,291 km2 (6,290 sq mi). The annual discharge is 2.4 km3 (0.58 cu mi).
France–Thailand relations cover a period from the 16th century until modern times. Relations started in earnest during the reign of Louis XIV of France with numerous reciprocal embassies and a major attempt by France to Christianize the Kingdom of Thailand and establish a French protectorate, which failed when the country revolted against foreign intrusions in 1688. France would only return more than a century and a half later as a modernised colonial power, engaging in a struggle for territory and influence against Thailand in mainland Southeast Asia that would last until the 20th century.
The Siamese revolution of 1688 was a major popular uprising in the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom which led to the overthrow of the pro-French Siamese king Narai. Phetracha, previously one of Narai's trusted military advisors, took advantage of the elderly Narai's illness, and killed Narai's Christian heir, along with a number of missionaries and Narai's influential foreign minister, the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon. Phetracha then married Narai's daughter, took the throne, and pursued a policy of ousting French influence and military forces from Siam. One of the most prominent battles was 1688's Siege of Bangkok, when tens of thousands of Siamese forces spent four months besieging a French fortress within the city. As a consequence of the revolution, Siam severed significant ties with the Western world, with the exception of the Dutch East India Company, until the 19th century.
Maria Guyomar de Pina, Thao Thong Kip Ma, was a Siamese woman from Ayutthaya. She was of mixed Japanese, Portuguese and Bengali Indian ancestry and became the wife of Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon.
Denmark–Thailand relations date back to 1621. Denmark operates an embassy in Bangkok, along with a consulate in Phuket, although it used to have one in Pattaya. The Danish embassy in Bangkok also handles Danish relations with Cambodia, with the current Danish ambassador of Thailand also being the ambassador to Cambodia. Thailand itself operates an embassy in Copenhagen.
Khanom chin or Khanom jeen are fresh, thin rice noodles in Thai cuisine which are made from rice sometimes fermented for three days, boiled, and then made into noodles by extruding the resulting dough through a sieve into boiling water. Khanom chin is served in many kinds of stock: coconut milk, fish curry, and chilli.
Khanom krok or coconut-rice pancakes or mortar toasted pastry, is a traditional Thai dessert. They are prepared by mixing rice flour, sugar, and coconut milk to form a dough. Usually, khanom krok is composed of two batters, one salty and one sweet, both of which are cooked in a heating mantle—a hot indented frying pan. After heating, khanom krok is picked out of the mantle and the two half-circular doughs formed into a circular shape.
Thong yip or pinched gold egg yolks is one of the nine auspicious traditional Thai desserts. It is usually made for important occasions and ceremonies such as weddings, ordinations, and housewarmings.
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, or locally and simply Ayutthaya is the capital of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province of Thailand. Ayutthaya was the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Located on an island at the confluence of the Chao Phraya and Pa Sak rivers, Ayutthaya is the birthplace of the founder of Bangkok, King Rama I. The ruins of the old city are preserved in the Ayutthaya Historical Park.
Khanom mo kaeng is a traditional Thai dessert. It is similar to an egg custard or a kind of flan. Khanom mo kaeng is made with coconut milk, eggs, palm sugar, white sugar, salt, shallots and a bit of oil. There are different variations of khanom mo kaeng. The kind of starch that is used is usually taros, but sometimes are used hulled mung beans, lotus seeds, sweet potatoes, or other starches.
Khanom babin, also spelled as kanom babin, is a popular Thai dessert that comes from Ayutthaya. It is made from young coconut, rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and egg.
Bilateral relations between Thailand and the United Kingdom date to the 17th century. Thailand has an embassy in London and the UK has an embassy in Bangkok.
Kudi Chin or Kadi Chin, also spelled "Kudee Jeen", etc. is a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok. It is in Wat Kanlaya Sub-district, Thon Buri District, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, south of Bangkok Yai Canal. The neighbourhood, dating to the Ayutthaya period, includes communities of several faiths living in close proximity. Today, it is best known for the Catholic community around Santa Cruz Church, but the wider neighbourhood also includes the areas around Wat Kanlayanamit, Kudi Khao Mosque, and the Chinese Kuan An Keng Shrine. Conservation and revitalization efforts beginning in 2008 have made the neighbourhood a cultural tourism destination.
The Embassy of Portugal in Bangkok is the diplomatic mission of Portugal in Thailand. It is located in Bang Rak District, on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River, and is served by Soi Charoen Krung 30. Dating to 1820, with the ambassador's residence built in 1860, it is the oldest diplomatic mission in Thailand, and the ambassador's residence has been recognized as an award-winning historic building.
Khanom farang kudi chin is a Thai-style cake that was influenced by Portuguese desserts since the Ayutthaya era, during the reign of King Narai (1633–88). Ayutthaya was a trading entrepot and had diplomatic relations with many European countries at the time, such as France, Spain, Holland and Portugal
Khanom bodin is a traditional Thai Muslim cake, believed to have originated from Portuguese desserts like other Thai desserts such as thong muan, thong yip, thong yot, foi thong, luk chup, khanom mo kaeng or khanom farang kudi chin.
Bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Thailand date back to 1604, as one of the earliest interactions between Europeans and Siamese. Thailand today is a popular tourist site for Dutch tourists, while the Netherlands is the largest EU investor in Thailand. The Netherlands operates an embassy in Bangkok, as well as a consulate in Phuket. Thailand itself operates an embassy in the Hague, as well as a consulate in Amsterdam.
Khanom met khanun is traditional Thai dessert dating back to the Ayutthaya period. It is made from a mixture of sweet cooked bean and coconut paste, which is dipped in blended egg yolk and then dipped in hot syrup. The dessert has a yellow-golden appearance and is a bit soft and sticky when chewed. It is one of the nine auspicious Thai desserts served in Thai wedding traditions, religious observances and as a snack.
Some of the most famous Portuguese-Siamese desserts were attributed to Mary Gimard, or Thao Thong Giip Ma, the Portuguese-Japanese wife of Constance Phaulkon, the Greek adventurer who became Prime Minister under King Narai of Ayuttaya (1656–1688). She was credited with adapting Portuguese egg-based desserts into special royal desserts including a custard served in squash and a complex sweet made to look like mango seeds.