The horizontally striped flag of red, white, and blue is called Thong Trairong (Three Colored Flag). It was made official in 1917. The blue symbolizes the king, white symbolizes religion, and red expresses the sense of unity within the state and among the citizens. Having such a flag, the Thai citizen's home at heart is the royal family and religion, and it said that the the flag expresses loyalty toward the king and especially, the loyalty toward the very discipline-focused Southern Theravada Buddhism.