Love in the Green House

Since 1934, when a yearly beauty contest became the main attraction of Siam's Constitutional Day celebration, a new aspiration in life has opened for young Siamese females. The lucky one who is chosen Nangsao Thai (Miss Thailand) becomes for a year the first girl in the land and is showered with invitations to parties, big events, temple fairs, football matches. At the end of the year, Miss Thailand makes a brilliant marriage and, presumably, lives happily thereafter. The sole exception to this rule in 18 years has been Riam Pesayanavin, Miss Thailand of 1939.

To the surprise of her many suitors, Riam sat out the dancing parties, refused to eat at dinner. When, after nine years, she was still unmarried, a scurrilous paper serialized her alleged love life. But the truth was that Riam is a devoted elder daughter of a Siamese-Islamic family which looks with disfavor on Westernized dancing and rejects all food prepared by pork-eating non-Moslems. "Time will vindicate me," said Riam.

In 1950, to the annual Constitutional Day celebrations came Malaya's youngest potentate, who rules Malaya's smallest state, Perils (pop. 71,000), just over the Siamese border. The Raja of Perlis, a plump 31, met Riam, 27, fell deeply in love. Last May, Riam accepted the Raja's 15-carat diamond engagement ring and last month they were married.

The fact that the Raja already has a wife & nine children at home in Perlis made no difference. Explained Riam: "We are Moslems, and the Raja is allowed by our religion to take four wives." Nor did it make any difference that the Raja's first wife, the progressively minded Tengku Budriah, should be a Girl Scout commissioner, a badminton, hockey and tennis player, who believes in the emancipation of Moslem women. Moslem custom demanded that she keep a dutiful silence while, 400 yards from her palace, workmen put the finishing touches on a cozy little green house to be occupied by the beautiful Riam.

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