the term "sam phraeng" is an old thai word meaning three-way intersection, according to ancient thai beliefs, that the three-ways are the path that the ghost or various spirits used as the path through, therefore is an inauspicious place and no one dares to build houses for living. the name is derived from three "soi" (alleyways), which were the location of palaces of three princes, namely phraeng phuthon, phraeng nara and phraeng sanphasat respectively.