Siam

The term "Siamese twins" comes from two conjoined twins from Siam who travelled with P.T. Barnum's circus.

Burma, Siam, Indochina and Indonesia are divided between at least two linguistic families: Sinitic and Malayo-Polynesian.

Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King Fa Ngum. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century, when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.

From hence we firſt ſailed to Achin, in the iſland of Sumatra, and then to Siam, where we bartered our wares for ſome arrack and opium, the laſt of which bore a great price among the Chineſe:[…]

Jenny: […] Then on the way back, Sunny crashed the car into the side of the road. Irene: I thought he race car driver? Jenny: (shrugs) He said he saw a dog. Irene: A dog? Jenny: […] Maybe it's an invisible dog. Or very good at hiding. So he siam [avoid] lor.

One of the uncles who had restrained the man then approached James, who said: "Never mind, you siam lah. Not your daiji ['business' in Hokkien]."