The country once known as Rhodesia had a long and proud history before the white man arrived, as shown by the awe-inspiring ruins of the 'Great Zimbabwe'. However, by the time the first settlers arrived, organised by the 'British South Africa Company' of Cecil Rhodes (which was given a royal charter by Queen Victoria to develop and administer the territory), the two main tribes were in a state of almost permanent war. The powerful Matabele looked upon the Shona as a source of slaves, women and cattle, and so King Lobengula gave their land, Mashonaland, to the Company. Later, after a Matabele raiding party had allegedly trespassed on Company property, the Company annexed Matabeleland as well, vastly increasing the size of the territory initially known as 'British Zambesia' but later called Rhodesia.  This was not the only company-run British territory (Uganda was another one), but the BSA Company's reign lasted longer than most. There were protests, the worst of which was the 1896 Matabele uprising, but company seemed as unbeatable as it was unprofitable.

The rule of the Company came to an end in 1923, when the voters of Rhodesia were given the choice of joining the recently formed 'Union of South Africa' or acquiring responsible government in their own right. The voters chose the latter and so the colony of 'Southern Rhodesia' came into being, with the portion north of the Zambezi River being given separate colonial status. Many years later, after World War 2, there was a brief but unsuccessful attempt at regional grouping, uniting the two Rhodesias with Nyasaland to form the strangely misnamed 'Central African Federation', but this could not and did not last. Having tried to impose one unpopular political future on the citizens of Rhodesia, the politicians in Britain sought to impose immediate and ill-prepared majority rule. Most Rhodesians accepted, albeit reluctantly, that things could not remain as they were but unlike far-off London, they knew that any handover would have to be gradual, with plenty of careful preparation. London disagreed and insisted that the black Africans were ready right away.

Following failed talks between London and the Rhodesian Government, a general election was held. The main issue was undoubtedly the two very different views of the colony's future. The Rhodesia Front Party, previously dismissed as being for 'cowboys' (big rural landowners), openly stated that it would seek to break away from the British Empire if London remained inflexible. The Front won the election and its leader, former Battle of Britain hero Ian Douglas Smith, became the rebel colony's prime minister. He immediately resumed talks with the British Labour Government, hoping that his party's clear stance would pressure Britain to compromise. It didn't. Mr Smith, being a man of his word, therefore followed through as promised.

Flags of Rhodesia
B.S.A. Company	Rhodesian Army	Flag of 'Zimbabwe-Rhodesia'	Rhodesia's own airline

It wasn't just the "Wild West" that had stage coaches -- so did we!

The last stand of the Shangani Patrol, an epic of Rhodesia's early days.

 

A Z$1 Billion banknote & what it could buy, thanks to Mr. Mugabe.

UDI              (Return to top)

The British Government, concerned only with following the fashion for rapid and unprepared decolonisation, refused to budge, believing that Mr Smith's threats of leaving the empire without British approval were just bluff. The Rhodesian Government eventually decided to prove they were not. On November 11th 1965,  Rhodesia resorted to 'UDI' (a Unilateral Declaration of Independence)', in accordance with the wishes of its electorate, both black and white. (To see a copy of this historic declaration, click here.) Rhodesia thereby became only the 2nd British Colony to declare itself unilaterally independent -- the first was the United States 189 years earlier, but the US was luckier, as there was no United Nations then to impose sanctions on them for doing so!!

British Prime Minister Harold Wilson mistakenly predicted that the rebel regime wouldn't last beyond the end of the year. Many nations, both African and others, talked of invading Rhodesia to 'bring it to its senses', but such an open invasion never took place. Lacking the courage for a proper fight, certain other nations decided to let local terrorists do the fighting for them and so began the sadly bloody 'Chimurenga' war. Although many of the leading 'freedom fighters' posed for the cameras wearing somewhat over decorated uniforms, this was a true guerrilla war. Many uninformed people still think, even now, that this was a racist black versus white war, but this was never true. The number of black Rhodesians who died fighting for the 'evil white regime' is the best proof that this was a war against communism and tyranny, despite what many misguidedly believe. (For details of who or what the Rhodesians were fighting during this war, please consult 'Communist support and assistance to nationalist political groups in Rhodesia', issued by the Rhodesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in November 1975.) 

Feeling that even if the British didn't want to compromise, they should, the Rhodesian's held new elections in the late 1970s and as a result, gained their first black Prime Minister, Bishop Abel Muzorewa. He introduced many changes, including a new name for the country, the Republic of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. However, being an intelligent man, the Bishop refused to end the war. The terrorists continued to be hit and hit hard, and so they leaned on their Western backers to ignore the bishop's government. For the clueless politicians in London and Washington, the Bishop just wasn't black enough!

Zimbabwe              (Return to top)

In September 1979, the Rhodesian Government and representatives of the terrorist groups gathered at Lancaster House in London to discuss an agreement to end the war. The Rhodesians were by this time under great pressure. UN sanctions were biting, South Africa had ceased to cooperate or assist them, and the Rhodesian economy was in a dire situation. What's more, the Rhodesian Armed Forces were getting very low on ammunition and supplies, lacking the generous donors that the terrorists enjoyed. When Ian Smith eventually signed the Lancaster House Agreement, he reluctantly agreed to allow Rhodesia to revert to colonial status for a brief period, during which yet more elections would be held, supposedly supervised by the British. However, as most of the observers provided by Britain were completely new to Africa, and many were somewhat naive about the armed groups they considered 'Freedom Fighters', the elections were clearly fraudulent. However, London was reluctant to admit that it had blundered and so despite evidence that his followers had threatened and even attacked voters, Robert Mugabe was elected the first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

Since Mugabe came to power in April 1980, many things have changed in this beautiful country, but sadly few for the better. The economy has sunk to a new low, inflation stands at over 100%, and anything resembling democracy or human rights has disappeared. However, opposition to Mugabe's plans for a one-party state has been growing by leaps and bounds, although any mention of this in the foreign press was hard to find until recently -- it seems that it isn't 'PC' to criticise a black dictator, only a white one! 

Examples of Mugabe's cruelty aren't difficult to find, but surely one of the worst was the Matabeleland massacre. Not long after Mugabe took over, some of those people who had taken part in the guerrilla war against the old white and black governments began to feel that the majority Shona tribe (to which Mugabe belongs) was not exactly sharing power with other groups. In Matabeleland, this feeling of betrayal led some to resort to what was sometimes referred to as banditry, although this may have a reaction to the limited opportunities to oppose the government peacefully. The government's reaction was as harsh as it was concealed, leading to a situation that would later be termed 'ethnic cleansing' -- although unlike Milosevic, no-one has suggested putting Mugabe on trial! (To read the full details of this grisly crime, please refer to the 'Report on the 1980s disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands', compiled by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe in March 1997.)

However, Matabeleland is not the only area that objects to Mugabe's dictatorship, and so, despite government denials, 'Zimbabwe' does have political prisoners, one of the things its supporters fought to eliminate. (See 'Political Prisoners in Zimbabwe') Riots began to gain world attention in 1997 and a successful and peaceful national strike in early 1998 presented further proof that the present regime enjoys much less than universal approval. However, following a surprising series of electoral gains for the oppositions Movement for Democratic Change , Mugabe and his followers decided to make politics more predictable and so the presidential election of 2002 was one of the most corrupt and unfair since the dark days of Africa's earlier history. The South African party of election observers, to its eternal shame, gave the elections a clean bill of health, as did some other African nations whose leaders may not have been so convinced of democracy's benefits as they seem. However, the few foreign observers allowed in all agreed that it had not been free or fair in any way.  Sadly, with things as they currently stand, the future looks most unhappy for a land and people who deserve better. In a world where democracy seems to be spreading out across lands previously denied its benefits, Mugabe's Zimbabwe unfortunately seems likely to continue 'swimming against the tide' for some time to come.

                    

 

   

Prime Minister Smith signing the Unilateral Declaration of Independence.

Bishop Abel Muzorewa, head of the short-lived Republic of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, banished to the political wilderness for refusing to end the anti-terrorist war.

So why is the Rhodesian Embassy located in Hua Hin instead of Bangkok?
Just because every other embassy is located in Bangkok does not mean we have to follow their example! Apart from the obvious benefits of being based beside the sea (the beautiful, tsunami-free (so far) Gulf of Thailand), it is also politically astute. Whilst it is true that the politicians are all hanging around Bangkok (a good reason to avoid the place, surely!), Thailand's much loved monarch now spends almost all of his time at the beautiful Klai Kangwon Palace in Hua Hin. We Rhodesians are often accused of being rather old fashioned, and so any town that is good enough for His Majesty is most certainly good enough for us. (OK, we admit that the beach, low prices and the relative lack of crowding were also factors when we chose to locate here!)

More About Hua Hin
Hua Hin was Thailand's first beach resort towns, much older (and classier) than Phuket or Pattaya. Back in the 1920's, King Rama VII brought the royal family to Hua Hin to escape the heat of Bangkok -- something many other 'Bangkokians' continue to do every year! However, the only way of getting here in the 1900s was by canal boat and bullock cart -- not for the fainthearted! One thing that may have influenced the King when he chose Hua Hin, therefore, may have been the construction of the 'Southern Railway line' just after the First World War. During its construction, the railway surveyors were very surprised to find lovely beaches around a sleepy fishing village known as Baan Laem Him ( Stony Point Village). Anticipating future interest, they built a suitably grand station here which opened on November 25th 1911. Shortly after this, Prince Nares, a son of Thailand's famous King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V ), built a holiday palace by the beach and renamed the village, Hua Hin (Stone Head). Other members of the Royal family soon followed him down here and as you can imagine, such Royal patronage made the town fashionable with the Bangkok elite. This popularity increased when Prince Purachatra, Director General of the State Railways decided to build a prestigious hotel here. Sadly, with the usual imagination of railway companies the world over, this new hotel was called ‘The Railway Hotel’, opening in 1923. (Now called the Sofitel Central (yet another wonderfully lacklustre name!), you can still stroll around its grand colonial style buildings or even stay in one of the large airy rooms with magnificent verandas today. This was the hotel used in the 1983 film ‘The Killing Fields’!)

Modern Hua Hin has been described as "unspectacular and undistinguished", but others prefer to think of it as "family-friendly" or "relaxing." If you're looking for excitement, then maybe this is not the place for you. Hua Hin has around 5km of sea front, and sitting on the beach (which may not be the best in the world, but is better than many), you know you are in Thailand -- something easily forgotten in 'internationalised' Phuket and Pattaya. 

There is a small red-light district (more a pale pink really) but it is easily avoided if that isn't your cup of tea. For most visitors, nightlife usually consists of a remarkably fresh seafood dinner (this is still a fishing port) at open air cafe overlooking the sea. There are also pleasant bars and restaurants to be found inland as well.

During the daytime, if the beach should not be enough, there are several golf courses in the vicinity of Hua Hin, including The Royal Hua Hin, Thailand’s 1st golf course, originally designed by a Scottish railway engineer by the name of O.A. Robins in 1924. Others include Palm Hills, Majestic Creek, Imperial Lakeview, Springfield Royal Country Club (designed by Jack Nicklaus), and the Sawang Resort Golf Club.

If you feel like a spot of al fresco jazz, be sure to visit during the annual Jazz Festival, held on the beach each June.  Alternatively, you could check out the annual King's Cup Elephant Polo tournament, held at a local resort each September.  

Nonetheless, if you prefer a less active time, then you're looking at the right place. When King Rama VII built his palace here back in the 1920s, he chose to call it 'Klai Kang Won', or 'Far From Worries'.  That is a pretty good summary of the best reason to come here!