SIAM: Garden of Smiles

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"Everybody Is Mad." The elite of Bangkok are, of course, the princes of the blood, Phumiphon's relatives. "The monarchy," explained Prince Chumphot the other day, "renewed itself by losing its members in the common people." Thanks to the enterprise and fertility of the Chakkri kings, Bangkok crawls with literally thousands of princes. They work as grocery-store salesmen, government clerks and peddlers.

There was squat little Prince Bhanuphan, for instance, the King's first cousin, playwright, publisher and collector of automobiles, who could be spotted almost any day in downtown Bangkok denouncing the city's traffic system to some long-suffering cop and screaming, "Everybody, absolutely everybody is mad." There was Bhanuphan's brother, easygoing Prince Chaloemphon, by all odds the most popular cop on Bangkok's force, who by dint of hard study during 15 years of service had managed to rise from police sublieutenant to captain. The coolies have a name for him: Cheerful. He can generally be found seated at some roadside eating place, his cop's cap pushed well back on his head, amiably arguing with a group of samlor (pedicab) boys about the best strains of fighting fish. Chaloemphon is also one of the Orient's outstanding authorities on orchid culture. Other high-ranking Siamese royalty teach school, produce movies, publish newspapers and sell advertising. To refuse to buy an ad from Princess Mayurachat is almost useless; she prints the ad anyway and promptly sends her bill whether you like it or not. Nobody likes to be in debt to a princess.

Tweedledhi & Tweedlebun. Far more powerful than any prince (including King Phumiphon) are Siam's two master politicians, Pridhi and Phibun. Since 1932 Siam has had four constitutions and five attempted coups, of which two were successful. Pridhi, a scholar, wrote three of the four constitutions, and Phibun, a schemer, pulled both of the successful coups.

Phibun, as Premier, cooperated with the Japanese during the war. To get Pridhi out of the way he kicked him upstairs as regent for young King Ananda. Pridhi collaborated with the Allies, and in the last days of the war Bangkok had more undercover OSS men than could be found in the bar of Washington's Willard Hotel.

After the war Pridhi became Premier and Phibun retired. But soon Phibun started showing up every afternoon at the kite-flying ground. Friends interpreted this as a sign he was back in politics. Ananda's death brought Scholar Pridhi's fall, and Schemer Phibun becoming C-in-C of the army, Pridhi fled into exile. Now that Phibun has recognized Indo-China's Bao Dai, some say Pridhi will make a deal with IndoChina's Communist Ho Chi Minh. Others say Pridhi will come back as Phibun's Foreign Minister. But all these matters are in the laps of the astrologers.