WHy was siam changed to?

WHy did siam change its name to thailand

The name was changed by the nationalistic regime of Phibun Songkhram in 1939, changed back in 1945 when Phibun had to resign, and changed again in 1949 when he came back to power.

The name Thailand derives from the main ethnic group, the Tai people, so it then means "land of the Tai people" - which fits with the nationalistic ideas of the prime minister/military dictator. There are some scholars today who suggest to return to the historic name, as they think that the name Thailand suppresses the ethnic minorities in the country, most notably the Chinese.

The British/English named a lot of places in the last 500 years. Most places didn't agree with the "given" name.
Beijing didn't like Peking. Roma didn't like Rome. Fiorenze didn't like Florence. Ni-hon lives with Japan. So, if you don't like your name, change it.

I asked this question when I went to Thailand and was told "it was a political issue"

I would like to add some points. Thai or Tai (when you pronounce it) means freedom. Thailand in another meaning is land of freedom, because they've never been colonized by any western countries.
Beside the political issue, it is another reason why Siam was changed to Thailand.

Read this link for your answer:

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vine...

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