Help ID this ww2 photo

[Pmatt]

I do collect WW2 pictures and incidentally i found this one here in Italy.
I would like to know if anybody could help ID the rank of the officer in the picture and/if he's a known person.
Many thanks in advance

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/112/ridimensionadiscan10014sm1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Matt

[GWR]

Hopefully you will get more productive replies than this. There are a couple of posters here who are very well-informed about local military figures in history, but they don't always visit every day.

My informant says that white is often worn by the Royal Thai Navy, but that the issue is somewhat complicated by the fact that white is often worn by both the armed forces and civil servants for a royal audience. And, indeed, it looks like the kind if good-quality photo that might be taken at the time of such an audience. We have a suspicion the cap badge says 'taharn', but that could be taharn bok = army, taharn ahgaht= airforce or taharn reua =navy.

[Pmatt]

I scanned the back of the picture and it reports the same words on the front (in English), only this time in Thai.

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9805/ridimensionadiscan10015dl1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[GWR]

My very rudimentary Thai suggests you may be right that it is (partly) the same, but I think I'll get someone to check it over properly tomorrow. Thai signatures are not easy for a farang to read, for example.

[Pmatt]

Hi, I agree with you. My thai is rudimentary too, but I asked my wife to translate it for me :)

[ncr]

My very rudimentary Thai suggests you may be right that it is (partly) the sameIt is the same. It reads "hai kaptan Mareska wai pen thi raluek" (not that difficult to decipher if you already know the translation!), then he apparently signed his name (that's the difficult part), and the last line is the date in Thai numerals (which I can never really remember, but it ought to be 29.1.84).

We need a native speaker who's good at reading handwritings. Khun Wisarut.....?

And what's the name on the front, btw? "Chuay"?

[Wisarut]

After checking the list of name and the Thai note on this photo, I fouhd that photo is Mr. Chuay Techasen (ชัย เตชะเสน). He gave his photograph to Captain Mareska on Jan 29, 1941.

Mr. Chuay Techasen (ชัย เตชะเสน) may work in Ministry of Finance since his cap show garuda sign which is for Civilian officers while the epitalettes were showing Wayuphak (a mysical bird - a symbol for Ministry of Finance)

[Pmatt]

Dear Wisarut,
thank you very much for your kind assistance !