Historically, there was no distinction in the
Kingdom of Siam between soldiers and marines, with the army performing both functions. The first "Thahan Ma-Rine", meaning "Marine Soldiers", were formed in 1833, during the reign of
King Rama III. "Ma-Rine" was simply a transliteration of the English word. The development of the modern Thai Marine Corps can be divided into three periods:
Early years The Marine Soldiers of the 19th and early 20th centuries were few in number and served mainly as a royal honor guard that provided security for the King whenever he traveled around the country. On March 2, 1913, however, the Ministry of the Navy reorganized the Marine Soldiers. The Marine artillery platoon was attached to the Operation Command Department of Ships and Fortresses, while the Marine infantry platoon in Bangkok was attached to the Vehicle Division of the Department of the Navy Amphibious Assault Group.
The Revolution in 1932 transformed Thailand from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. Shortly after, the Royal Thai Navy was reorganized, and the vehicle battalion became the Marine Corps Battalion of the Bangkok Navy Station. This is considered the first Marine Corps Battalion in Thailand.
Post–1932 Revolution (1932–1955) The 2nd Marine Corps Battalion was established at
Sattahip in 1937. Two years later, the 2nd Battalion was expanded into the Marine Corps Department. Shortly after that, a border dispute with
French Indochina turned violent, and the Marine Corps Department's "
Chanthaburi Division" was engaged in action with the
French Foreign Legion (FFL) several times. During
World War II, the Marine Corps sent troops to defend the southern border with
British Malaya and also guarded
Phuket Province from possible attack. After
Empire of Japan's surrender in September 1945, Thai marines helped disarm the
Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) at Baan Pong District in
Ratchaburi Province. In 1950, when communist violence in British Malaya spilled over into Thailand, Marine Corps Troop 6 was sent to help restore the peace in
Narathiwat Province. On June 29, 1951, the Thai government disbanded the Marine Corps Bureau, and Marine units were placed under the command the Army. This was in response to the
Manhattan Rebellion in which part of the Navy (including Marines) rebelled against the ruling Army junta. However, this was during the
Korean War, and both the
United States Armed Forces and the Royal Thai Navy urged Thailand to reconsider.
New Age (1955–present) Four years later, the Thai Government acknowledged that a Marine Corps could perform a useful role in national defense. On July 30, 1955, the government created the Marine Corps Department. In 1961, tensions flared over the disputed temple of
Preah Vihear, situated on the Thai side of a high cliff on the Cambodian border but shown on French maps as being in Cambodia. The Chanthaburi and
Trat borders with Cambodia gave the Marine Corps Department its first assignment, safeguarding the coastline and southeastern border. Since 1970 the Marine Corps' Chanthaburi-Trat Task Force has been officially assigned the defense of this area. During 1972 and 1973, Thai marines were involved in the
"Operation Sam-Chai" anti-communist operations in
Phetchabun Province and the "Pha-Phum" anti-communist operations in
Chiang Rai Province. In 1973 and 1974, they took part in anti-communist operations in the southern provinces of
Narathiwat,
Pattani, and
Yala. eliminating hostile forces during a mock raid, 11 February 2011 Since 1975, RTMC have been assigned to Narathiwat as
Reconnaissance Battalion (RECON). In 1977, they captured the communist camp at Krung-Ching in
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, and remaining there until 1981. RTMC today are responsible for border security in Chanthaburi and Trat provinces. They have fought communist insurgents in engagements at Baan Hard Lek, Baan Koat Sai, Baan Nhong Kok, Baan Kradook Chang, Baan Chumrark, and in the battle of Hard Don Nai in
Nakhon Phanom Province. Since 1982, RTMC has been training with international marines, especially the United States Marine Corps, under the codename
Cobra Gold (CG), which allows RTMC to gain many experience in new strategies and tactics to adapt to the current military situation. Meanwhile, marines from other nations participating in the training will gain experience in combat tactics and survival in the tropical rain forest. At present, since 2004, Many Thai marines have died serving their country, and they continue to do so today, especially in the southern border provinces currently affected by the
South Thailand insurgency, although hey are trained more intensively in anti-irrgular forces and counterinsurgency in urban areas. In real situations, Thai marines will be more flexible in their tactics according to the situation to minimize losses. Despite suffering significant casualties and losses, the Thai marines performed well especially in the difficult to reach drainage basin and jungle zone. One of the Thai marines' most famous works during the South Thailand insurgency is
Battle of Bacho. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded by superior
Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) insurgent forces, the Thai marines planned well to win the battle with no casualties. On the RKK side, a total of sixteen soldiers were killed during the attack on the 2nd Rifle Company Base, 32nd Task Force Narathiwat. This Battle of Bacho is considered the largest clash in which the death toll was from a group of insurgents who were fully armed. A monument to their valor stands at the Royal Thai Navy base (aka Sattahip Naval Base) at
Sattahip district,
Chonburi province. ==United Nations Peacekeeping Operations==