Jim Thompson

Now I don't usually write blogs about people. At least, I don't usually write blogs about one particular person especially one who's American. I love Americans and all but they don't usually fall within the scope of this blog and its topics of Pinoy-ness. Jim Thompson, although not Pinoy, does fall within the scope of this blog because he's connected with a country I visited recently: Namely, Thailand.

Jim Thompson's story is a fascinating one. He's pretty famous; have you heard of him? If the answer is no, don't fret my fine Pinoy friends, I too was oblivious to the existence of a certain Jim Thompson. I find his story fascinating not because of what he did, but of what he didn't do. First off, here's some brief information regarding what he did do:

Jim Thompson (born March 21, 1906 in Greenville, Delaware - unknown) was an American businessman who helped revitalize Thailand's silk and textile industry in the 1950s and 1960s.

Thompson devoted himself to revitalizing a cottage industry of hand-woven silk, which had for centuries been a household craft in Thailand but was dying out. Thompson located a group of Muslim weavers in the Bangkok neighborhood of Bankrua and provided to them unavailable color-fast dyes, standardized looms, and technical assistance to those interested in weaving on a piece-work basis.

Besides inventing the bright jewel tones and dramatic color combinations nowadays associated with Thai silk, he raised thousands of Thailand's poorest people out of poverty, making millionaires out of his core group of weavers by giving them shares of the Thai Silk Company. His endeavour showed a profit from its first year of operation. Thompson's determination to keep his company cottage-based was significant for the women who made up the bulk of his work force. By allowing them to work at home, choosing their hours and looking after their children while weaving, they retained their position in the household while becoming breadwinners.

Jim Thompson is a big name is Thailand. I saw several stores displaying his name. You can either buy full rolls of fabric or individual household items made from the silk.

Wow, there's even a Jim Thompson bar and restaurant!

As Thompson was building his company, he also became a major collector of Southeast Asian art, which at the time was not well-known internationally.

He built a superb collection of Buddhist and secular art not only from Thailand but from Burma, Cambodia and Laos, frequently travelling to those countries on buying trips.

In 1958 he began what was to be the pinnacle of his architectural achievement, a new home to showcase his art collection. Formed from parts of six antique Thai houses, his home (completed in 1959) sits on a klong (canal) across from Bangkrua, where his weavers were then located. Most of the 19th century houses were dismantled and moved from Ayutthaya, but the largest - a weaver's house (now the living room) - came from Bangkrua. The Jim Thompson House, now a museum, is the second most popular tourist attraction in Bangkok, surpassed only by the Grand Palace in visitor attendance.

They handed out babies at the entrance! Just kidding, this is my niece. When we went to Jim Thompson's house we took part in a tour that explained who Jim Thompson was, what he did for Thailand, and showcased his artwork and home decorations.

The house is amazing and the garden is even nicer. The pathways are lined with small statues that greet you at every turn.

When you take all these things about Jim Thompson into consideration it's hard not to respect the man. But as I said above, I'm not fascinated by what he did do (which is pretty amazing) but what he didn't do. When I say didn't, I'm referring to this story:

Thompson disappeared mysteriously after going for an afternoon walk on Easter Sunday in the Cameron Highlands in Pahang, Malaysia, on March 26, 1967. It was unusual that he left his cigarettes and a small silver "jungle box" on the chair outside Moonlight Cottage. This suggests that he didn't expect to be gone long. He was never found, and the theories for his disappearance are many, some plausible and others ridiculous. The most likely are probably that he was the victim of a robbery and accidental murder or that he fell into an aboriginal animal trap (a pit with a spike) and was buried by the Orang Asli when they discovered what had happened.

He didn't come back. What a mystery. And what's even more amazing is his silk empire continues to thrives even though he's been missing since 1967. He has stores, restaurants, and his home has become a museum. Pretty amazing for a missing person. It funny actually, when I was first introduced to the name Jim Thompson I was only slightly interested in his story. But as soon as I heard there's a possible murder mystery involved I jumped on the Jim Thompson band wagon. It really makes you wonder what happened to him out there in the jungle...

Here's a little trivia for you:

Thompson's disappearance inspired the 1986 entry into the Choose Your Own Adventure children's book series, The Case of the Silk King by Shannon Gilligan.