by Sherri Smith
The first Thailand flag was created during the reign of King Rama II. This flag was chosen with the lucky symbol of a white elephant. The present Thailand flag, the Trai Rong or three colors was designed by King Rama VI. It was first used around 1920. The flag has five horizontal stripes in the colors red, white, blue, white and red, with the middle stripe being twice as wide as the other four. Red stands for nation, white represents religion, and the blue signifies the king. Nation-religion-king is an unofficial motto of Thailand.
The current flag was adopted on September 28, 1917 according to a royal decree in that year; however, didn’t become widely used until around the 1920s.
The Naval Ensign is similar to the National Flag except that is has a red circle in the middle of the flag and the circle reaches as far as the red stripes on the flag; both top and bottom. Within the circle stands a white elephant, in full regalia, facing the flagpole. This ensign was adopted in 1917 as well.
When the flag of Thailand is flown, it is often flanked by the two Royal flags of the King and Queen on each side. The Royal flags are flown slightly below the flag of Thailand. Thailand’s flag most closely resembles the flag of Costa Rica, which was adopted 11 years prior to Thailand’s. The difference is that the blue and red colors have been inverted.