In the autumn of 1931, the governments of the Kingdom
of Thailand and Switzerland signed a friendship and trade
agreement that marked the beginning of diplomatic relations
between the two countries. At the same time, Swiss people
living in Siam founded the first Swiss club in Thailand, the
Swiss Society Bangkok (SSB). Many Swiss merchants were
already attracted by the opportunity to trade in the treasures
of Southeast Asia at that time. Traditional Swiss trading
houses employed skilled Swiss entrepreneurs. But also many
adventurers, who tried their luck in Southeast Asia, ended up
in Thailand. While some built up successful business empires,
others failed miserably and had to be supported financially or
even repatriated. The main purpose of the SSB was and still is to
promote friendship and contact among the Swiss community, to
organize social and cultural activities, and to provide benevolent
assistance to contemporaries in hardship. After reviewing
the archives, some SSB board members have documented the
historical events in an anniversary book celebrating the go years
of existence of the SSB. This book tells the historical highlights
of the SSB from the founding years to the present, enriched
with many intriguing stories and testimonials from Swiss
countrymen in Thailand.
