Colonial Southeast Asia

Abstract

This chapter covers the first years of Prisdang's exile, exploring his conflicts—both internal and external—during this period. An abiding patriot, he sought desperately to return to his native country, but only if the king would consent to hear his side of the story. Yet he not only penned a searing critique of King Chulalongkorn and his method of rule but presented it to British colonial officials in 1891. He defended himself as a “political refugee” because of his expression of views that contradicted those of King Chulalongkorn and the system of patronage that dominated politics in Siam. Was he a traitor, a patriot, a monarchist, or an opportunist? Regardless of one's interpretation, Prisdang caused friction between Siam and colonial governments everywhere he went in exile, even when he tried to eschew his royal and diplomatic identity and go underground in disguise as a commoner.