March 13 each year is celebrated on Phuket island in southern Thailand as Thalang Victory Day, commemorating the 1785 defeat of the local inhabitants over a superior Burmese invasion force. The island had been attacked shortly after the governor of Muang Thalang — a district of the province then known as Junkceylon — had died. His wife, Than Phuying Chan (ท่านผู้หญิงจัน), and her sister, Khun Mook (คุณมุก), gathered together … Continue reading The Battle of Thalang