Sarit Thanarat

Field Marshal
Sarit Thanarat
NR PChW SR MPCh MWM
สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์
11th
Prime Minister of Thailand
In office
20 October 1958 – 8 December 1963
Monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej
Preceded by Thanom Kittikachorn
Succeeded by Thanom Kittikachorn
Personal details
Born (1908-06-16)16 June 1908
Bangkok, Siam
Died 8 December 1963(1963-12-08) (aged 55)
Bangkok, Thailand
Nationality Thai
Spouse(s) Nuanchan Thanarat (two children), Chawee (two children), Praima (two children)Vichitra Thanarat (no children, but adopted nephew and gave the Thanarat last name)
Profession Soldier
Religion Buddhism
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Thailand
Service/branch Royal Thai Army
Years of service 1928 - 1963
Rank Field Marshal
(Chom Phol)
Commands Commander-in-chief
Battles/wars Japanese conquest of Burma

Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat (Thai: สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์, alternatively spelled Dhanarajata) (16 June 1908 – 8 December 1963) was a Thai career soldier who staged a coup in 1957, thereafter serving as Thailand's prime minister until his death in 1963. He was born in Bangkok, but grew up in his mother's home town in Lao-speaking northeastern Thailand and considered himself from Isan. His father, Major Luang Ruangdetanan (birth name Thongdi Thanarat), was a career army officer best known for his translations into Thai of Cambodian literature.[1][2][3] During his years as prime minister Sarit was a patron of his cousin, the Lao strongman General Phoumi Nosavan, against the communist Pathet Lao guerrillas in the neighbouring Kingdom of Laos.

Military career

Sarit Thanarat was educated at a monastery school, and entered the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in 1919, not completing his military studies until 1928, after which he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. During World War II he served as commander of an infantry battalion and took part in the invasion and occupation of the Shan States in Burma. Unlike many of his fellow officers, Sarit was not discharged at the end of the war. Instead, he was promoted to command the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Bangkok-based Guards Division.[4] As a colonel, he played a leading role in the 1947 military coup that overthrew the government of Prime Minister Thawal Thamrong Navaswadhi, a protege of Pridi Phanomyong, reinstalling the previously deposed Field Marshal Luang Pibunsongkram as premier. Sarit thereafter took a lasting interest in politics.[1] He became Commander of the Royal Thai Army in 1954.

Sarit's coups

During the early-1950s, Pibunsongkhram's government had become increasingly independent of US anti-communist policy and the parliamentary election of 1957 was allegedly rigged to keep Pibunsongkhram in power. Public outrage and student protests, accompanied by the known displeasure of Thailand's king, led Sarit to stage a coup in September 1957, but a serious deterioration of his health led Sarit to fly to the US for treatment, leaving Deputy Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn in charge.[1] However, economic troubles continued, and in October 1958 Sarit staged, with CIA support, a second coup, intended to suppress opposing politicians by imposing martial law. Sarit felt that democracy had failed in Thailand and intended to rule according to "Thai ideologies", not imported Western political theories, choosing as his model the supposedly benevolent despots of his country's past.[4]

Sarit's tenure

On 19 October 1958, Sarit informed his generals of his plans for a "revolution". To no one's surprise, the following day he declared martial law, silencing the experiments in open politics that had begun in 1955, justifying his actions by arguing for a return to Thai traditions of social law and order.

As prime minister, Sarit accelerated his country's economic development under a plan designed by the US and the World Bank that promoted both market competition and private investment. He also created the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), which continues to play an important role in Thailand's economic development. Sarit's favourite term was "patana" (development) and the slogan, "nation, religion, monarch", represented by the red, white, and blue on the Thai flag.

Though generally popular for its achievements, Sarit's regime was the most repressive and authoritarian in modern Thai history, abrogating the constitution, dissolving parliament, and vesting all power in his newly formed Revolutionary Party. Although he pledged to appoint a constituent assembly to act as a legislature and draft a constitution, no one doubted the body would merely rubber-stamp his orders.[4] Eventually Sarit's constitution was promulgated, but not until after his death.

Sarit banned all other political parties,[5] imposing very strict censorship[6] of the press after the coup. His Revolutionary Party banned eighteen leftist and neutralist publications, and forbade new opposition newspapers. Sarit's "revolution" brought an intense crackdown on "leftists". As genuine communists were rare in Thailand, it was the mildly socialist or neutralist professors, politicians, and newspapers which bore the brunt of the suppression. Police arrested many dissidents and ethnic Chinese on the first day of the coup, followed by hundreds in the succeeding weeks. Among those arrested were Sang Phathanothai, Kulab Saipradit, Jit Phumisak, and Prasert Sapsunthorn.

The monarchy

Relief of Sarit Thanarat's life in Khon Kaen, depicts his coup d'état in 1957.

Under Sarit, the public role of the Thai monarchy, which had been restricted by Phibun, was allowed to resume. Sarit arranged for King Bhumibol Adulyadej to attend public ceremonies, visit the provinces, patronise development projects, and present diplomas to Thailand's university graduates, helping to bring the monarchy closer to the people and raising the stature of the king to that of high reverence. The practice of prostration with the head touching the ground before royal audiences, banned decades earlier by King Chulalongkorn, was reinstated.

Sarit introduced a new generation of economically liberal technocrats to governing, encouraged private and foreign direct investment, launched major rural development projects, and rapidly expanded educational facilities, which, despite his despotic rule, made Sarit generally popular with the Thai public.

Sarit's death and aftermath

Sarit died unexpectedly in late-1963 from liver failure, just as his economic measures were proving successful. Power transferred peacefully to his deputy generals, Thanom Kittikachorn, who became prime minister, and Praphas Charusathian, who became deputy prime minister. Thanom and Praphas maintained Sarit's authoritarian style of government, his anti-communism, and his pro-US policies.

Sarit's relationship with King Bhumibol was evident when the king ordered 21 days of official mourning in the palace after his death, with Sarit's body lying in state under royal patronage for 100 days and the king and queen attending his cremation on 17 March 1964.

Posthumous revelations

After Sarit's death, his reputation took a blow when an inheritance battle between his son, Major Setha Thanarat, and his young wife, Thanpuying Vichitra Thanarat, revealed the massive extent of Sarit's wealth, over US$100 million.[7] He was discovered to have owned a trust company, a brewery, 51 cars and some 30 plots of land, most of which he gave to his dozens of mistresses. Thai language newspapers published the names of 100 women who claimed to have shared his bed, shocking the public when his corruption was uncovered.[8]

Royal decorations

As usual with senior Thai military officers and politicians, Sarit received many royal decorations in the Honours System. These include:[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 http://www.bookrags.com/biography/sarit-thanarat/
  2. ↑ Smith Nieminen Win. Historical Dictionary of Thailand. Praeger Publishers. p. 225. ISBN 0-8108-5396-5.
  3. ↑ Richard Jensen, Jon Davidann, Sugita (2003). Trans-Pacific Relations: America, Europe, and Asia in the Twentieth Century. Praeger Publishers. p. 222. ISBN 0-275-97714-5.
  4. 1 2 3 Thak Chaloemtiarana. Thailand: The Politics of Despotic Paternalism. Thammasat University Press (1979).
  5. ↑ The Royal Gazette, Revolutionary Council Announcement No. 8, Vol 75, No. 83, 21 October 1958.
  6. ↑ Albert G. Pickerell. The Press of Thailand: Conditions and Trends. Journalism Quarterly (Winter 1960).
  7. ↑ Joehnk, Tom Felix; Garger, Ilya (22 March 2016). "How America Can Put Thailand Back on Track". New York Times. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Thailand: Sarit's Legacy". Time. 27 March 1964. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  9. ↑ Bio of Sarit Thanarat at the Royal Thai Army website (in Thai). Accessed 19 November 2008.
  10. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 58, p. 2966. 18 September, B.E. 2484 (C.E. 1941). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  11. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 65 No. 71, p. 3979. 7 December, B.E. 2491 (C.E. 1948). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  12. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 66 No. 66, p. 5425. 6 December, B.E. 2492 (C.E. 1949). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  13. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 67 No. 67, p. 6346. 12 December, B.E. 2493 (C.E. 1950). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  14. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 67 No. 39, p. 3039. 18 July, B.E. 2493 (C.E. 1950). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  15. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 68 No. 74, p. 5646. 11 December, B.E. 2494 (C.E. 1951). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  16. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 69 No. 29, p. 1287. 13 May, B.E. 2495 (C.E. 1952). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  17. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 69 No. 72, p. 4647. 9 December, B.E. 2495 (C.E. 1952). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  18. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 70 No. 29, p. 2053. 12 May, B.E. 2496 (C.E. 1953). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  19. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 76 No. 53, p. 1400. 19 May, B.E. 2502 (C.E. 1959). Accessed 20 November 2008.
  20. ↑ Royal Gazette, Vol. 76 No. 115 (Special), p. 36. 16 December, B.E. 2502 (C.E. 1959). Accessed 20 November 2008.
Political offices
Preceded by
Thanom Kittikachorn		 Prime Minister of Thailand
1959–1963 		Succeeded by
Thanom Kittikachorn
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