Riverboat queens of Bangkok: how three generations of women turned modest ferry service into major transport business
- An anomaly in a business world dominated by men and ethnic Chinese, company led by successive generations of Thai women rules Bangkok’s river passenger trade
- Women of the River is a well-written, bilingual history of the Supatra family business, Chao Phraya Express Boat Company
The Chao Phraya River is one of Bangkok’s great attractions. Board one of the vessels that ply the river and much of the capital’s recent history is laid out before you – the Temple of Dawn (renovated by King Taksin when the capital was on the western, Thonburi, side of the river, the shabby fringes of Chinatown, the walls of the Grand Palace and the old East Asiatic Company headquarters, and Portuguese-built churches.
Surprisingly, given the great variety of vessels on the waterway, passenger transport on the river is largely operated by one company – the Supatra Group.
Even more surprisingly, this century-old river business has been run by three generations of women, an anomaly in Thailand’s male-dominated business world.
These women’s story will be celebrated on August 25 with the publication of a book, Women of the River – The Supatra Story Through the Century.
The publication date marks the birthday of the late Khunying Supatra Singholaka, who died aged 83 in 1993 after transforming the family business from a humble ferry service into a viable mass transit service for Bangkok residents.
