Pattani, the center of the semi-independent Malay…

Pattani, the center of the semi-independent Malay Sultanate of Pattani Darul Makrif, has historically paid tribute to the Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya.

With the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1569, Pattani had become virtually independent, and even after the restoration of Ayutthayan independence in 1600, remains so.

Chinese merchants, beginning with Cheng Ho in the period 1406-1433, had played a major role in the rise of Pattani as a regional trade center.

The Chinese over the next two centuries had been joined by other groups such as the Portuguese in 1516, the Japanese in 1592, the Dutch VOC in 1602, the English East India Company in 1612, as well as a great number of Malay and Siamese merchants who work throughout the area.

The VOC and the English East India Company have established warehouses in Pattani in 1603 and 1612, respectively, and conduct out intense trading here.

Pattani is particularly viewed by European traders as a way of accessing the Chinese market.