A friend, who was coming to Bangkok, planned to make a side trip to visit Malaysia. He asked if I could recommend places he and his wife should visit. I felt pretty confident that I could help him, for I had written a travel guide to Malaysia a number of years ago. I took the book down from my bookshelf and jotted down names. My friend and his wife arrived in Bangkok and thanked me when I gave them the list of places to visit. When they returned ten days later, they weren’t very happy. They wanted to know where I got all the names. There were no such places. And no wonder. The travel guide I had in my hand was dated 1972. Malaysia is still the same place, but the names are not. What has happened?

I’ve received many e-mails asking for name clarifications. It is a problem in many Southeast Asian countries. After a half century of independence from British, French and Dutch colonial rule, the countries in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent are still changing Europeanised place names to indigenous names. They want their own identity and, of course, we can’t blame them. Fortunately, in some countries when settlers moved in, they kept the original names. This was especially true in America, with the exception, of course, of New York and states like Pennsylvania and Virginia. But normally Indian names were placed on the map, like Mississippi and Ohio.

Out west in America it was Spanish names—California, Arizona, Oregon. It could be argued the Indians had names for the places before the Spaniards arrived. But then the Spaniards killed off all the Indians so it didn’t matter.
Throughout the countries of the Pacific Rim it’s quite another thing. The Second World War put an abrupt end to colonialism and handed cartographers a nightmare. Name changes were in the wind.

In Malaysia, Port Swettenham became Port Klang, many streets in Kuala Lumpur adapted Malay names and Hill Stations like Maxwell Hill became Malay. Burma is now Myanmar and Rangoon is Yangon. Saigon has become Ho Chi Minh City, and so many more.

India has taken up her cause. Gazetteers are working overtime changing names. We no longer call it Calcutta, but Kolkata, and Madras is now Chennai. I was just in Madras, I mean Chennai, and I have a difficulty with name changes. I like the ring of Calcutta, Rangoon and Saigon. But the choice is not mine. Of course, for locals it’s not that difficult, including Thais. Mapmakers are also kept busy, and with THAI now flying to Chennai, there are more queries—“Where’s that?” The editors of THAI’s in-flight magazine, Sawasdee, are constantly pulling out their hair trying to keep up to date.

The origin of place names is a study in itself. Take the name Cambodia. It is derived from the ancient Khmer Kingdom of Kambuja. Kambuja was originally the name of an early north Indian state. Since their independence from France in 1953 the official name of Cambodia has changed several times, going through the following:  Kingdom of Cambodia (Royaume du Cambodge); Khmer Republic under the rule of Lon Nol from 1970 to 1975; Democratic Kampuchea under the Khmer Rouge (Communists) from 1975 to 1979; The Republic of Kampuchea when Vietnamese forces beat the Khmer Rouge from 1979 to 1989; State of Cambodia (L'Etat du Cambodge, in Khmer: Roet Kampuchea) from 1989 to 1993. The Kingdom of Cambodia was brought back into use as the official name in 1993 after the monarchy was restored.

The Union of Myanmar was known as Burma, which was the official name of the country until 1989. This change of name has been officially recognized by the United Nations. But some national governments, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and much of the Burmese population, do not recognize this name change since they do not recognize the military government which instituted it. Even the name Myanmar can be confusing. It is actually a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanmar Naingngandaw, a name that would be hard to place on a coin.

Confusing sign when translated

Some signs don't need words

 Help when in both English and Thai

Sign painters have problems with languages

Sign on tree but no restaurant at end

A welcoming sign for some travellers

Signs become works of art

Monsoons are misleading. A wind not a rain

Call and you may get help, and maybe not

The THAI staff loves NY. Words not needed

For much of its history, Vietnam was under the direct control of China. France occupied the country in 1884, ruling it as a colony and calling it Indochina. The French in turn were expelled by Japan in World War II. After the war, France attempted to regain control but the Viet Minh were there first. On September 2, 1945, Viet Minh's leader, Ho Chí Minh, declared Viet Nam's independence and the formation of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam (DRV). War broke out between France and the Viet Minh in 1946 and ended with the defeat of the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. And so ended the First Indochina War of 1946-1954.

On July 20, 1954, by the Geneva Accord, Vietnam was partitioned into Northern and Southern Viet Nam. Then came the Second Indochina War, and Ho Chi Minh became victorious in 1972 and united the country. And with it came name changes. The most obvious one is when Saigon became Ho Chi Minh City.

Seamen who use old charts of the Republic of Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, would never find their way around. The names here are troublesome. The islands were originally Hindu, with Hindu names. In the 14thy century the Arabs arrived, brought Islam with them and, of course, name changes. But it didn’t stop there.

In the 17th century, the Dutch colonized the islands and ruled until World War II—first under the name of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Names became Dutch names.
During World War II, Japan occupied the Dutch colony. The Japanese added their names to the maps but the ink didn't have long to dry. The war ended, the Dutch returned, civil war broke out, and the Dutch finally accepted Indonesia's right to independence in 1949. The Dutch East Indies became The Republic of Indonesia and not a single Dutch name remained in all the islands. Thus don’t attempt to use an old chart or map of the country.

Then there is Republic of Singapore. Until the arrival of the British, who bought the island from the Sultan of Johor, it was called the Javanese name Temasek. The current name of the city derives from the Sanskrit Singapura or Lion City. A legend tells us that a Javanese prince once visited the island and saw a beast with a black head, believing it was a lion. He then renamed it Singapura. The only problem: there are no lions in Southeast Asia. 

Thailand was never occupied by a foreign power and place names were not corrupted by colonial powers having changed them. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t confusion in the names, especially the spellings when translated into English.  Thailand was known as Siam, which was the country's official name until May 11, 1949. The word Thai means "free" in the Thai language. It is also the name of the Thai people. A spelling sometimes used, when referring to the people, is Tae.  The name Bangkok is purely a Western name. To the Thai, Bangkok is Krung Thep.

Fortunately, when you travel with Royal Orchid Holidays, the names will be brought up to date. The brochures and booklets are updated every year. But then who knows. If it’s India you are going to, it may be a name you have never heard—but it will still be the same place.

About no lions in Singapore that I mentioned above, I am reminded of a limerick that I can’t resist passing on:

There was a young lady from Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger!

There aren’t any tigers in Africa either!  

Next week I’d like to take readers on a trip to old Thailand, as seen in old maps and prints, that is.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Dear Harold, I read with interest your article about Royal Barges on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. I thought perhaps your readers might be interested to hear about a water trip that’s available in Beijing. Sounds strange but it’s true, a river trip in Beijing. The vessel is Shangri-La Hotel’s River Dragon that carries passengers to the Summer Palace. The one-hour voyage recreates the imperial route that many past Chinese Emperors and Empresses enjoyed, on the Chang River with views of old bridges, temples and traditional Chinese courtyard houses on the riverbanks. There are four scheduled cruises each day. I am sure, for those of your readers who are traveling to Beijing, they would love it.  Best regards, Meanne Dizerens-Lau, Beijing

Dear Ms Meanne, Thank you for the information. It sounds like an inviting trip which I will certainly make the next time I am in Beijing. —HS

Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail:  ROH Weekly Travel

Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited.

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The Dragon Boat in Beijing by a reader

Next week we visit Thailand in old prints. Chiang
Mai seen here