Thai Student Uprising of 1973
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled Bangkok in October 1973 and brought down a military government that had ruled for a decade. Thanom Kittikachorn had governed since 1963, staged a coup against his own government in 1971 to dispense with the constitution and parliament, and ran the country with his deputy Praphas Charusathien and his son Narong — a family arrangement widely resented. The trigger was the arrest of thirteen activists in early October for distributing leaflets demanding a constitution. Student protests at Thammasat University grew daily, and by 13 October something like half a million people had gathered — the largest demonstration in Thai history — with the crowd extending from the Democracy Monument along Ratchadamnoen Avenue. The government agreed to release the detainees and to draft a constitution, and the leaders began dispersing the crowd. The killing happened the next morning, on 14 October, as demonstrators trying to leave past the royal palace were blocked by police. Tear gas and then live fire were used, helicopters fired on crowds, and at least seventy-seven people were killed and several hundred wounded. King Bhumibol opened the palace gates to shelter fleeing students, appeared on television, and appointed a civilian prime minister. The army commander refused to order further shooting. Thanom, Praphas and Narong left the country that night. Three years of parliamentary democracy followed and ended in the Thammasat massacre of October 1976, when a right-wing mob and police killed dozens of students and the army took over again. Thailand has had a dozen successful coups since 1932, the most recent in 2014.
- Year: 1973 CE
- Category: Political
