Sarit Dhanarajata

Field Marshal Sarit Dhanarajata (Thai: สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์, RTGS: Sarit Thanarat), (June 16, 1908 - December 8, 1963) staged a coup in 1957 and served as Thailand's dictator until his death in 1963. Sarit was an ethnic Lao^[1] from Thailand's northeast region. He was a patron of the Lao strongman General Phoumi Nosavan.

Authoritarianism and justifications

Sarit spent the summer of 1958 recuperating in the United States. During his recuperation Sarit thought broadly about how he should govern Thailand. He looked for ways to impose on the country's greedy, undisciplined, and ungrateful politicians and journalists the same sort of military order he found in the army. In the end, he decided to run the country according to "Thai" principles, not imported Western ideas. He would take as his model, not the representative democracies of Europe and America, but the supposedly benevolent despots of Thailand's ancient past.^[2]

Sarit's revolution

On October 19, 1958, Sarit told his generals his plans for a "revolution". The following day, to no one's surprise, he declared martial law, silencing the experiments in open politics since 1955. Sarit justified his authoritarianism in two ways: he argued for a return to Thai traditions of social order, and he accelerated economic development and social modernisation. His motto was "Nation, Religion, King" (represented by red, white, and blue colours, respectively, in Thailand's flag). Sarit's new regime was the most repressive and authoritarian in Thai history. His "revolution" abrogated the constitution, dissolved parliament, and vested 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 that the body would merely rubber-stamp his orders. In fact, the assembly never functioned as a parliament, and a constitution was promulgated only after a decade. Sarit banned all political parties from the beginning. He imposed a strict censorship^[3] of the press after the coup, moreover, that was stricter that even that of the period Phao commanded the police. Immediately he closed down eighteen leftist, neutralist, and opposition publications, and the Revolutionary Party prohibited new newspapers from opening. In addition to the press censorship, Sarit's "revolution" brought the most intense crackdown on the left Thailand had ever witnessed. Although real communists, who worked underground, were hard to come by, the mildly socialist but strongly neutralist leftists in parliament, universities, and the press proved easy targets. The police arrested dozens of dissidents and Chinese on the first day of Sarit's coup, and hundreds, not just seventy-two, followed in subsequent weeks. Those captured in the sweep included Sang Phathanothai, Kulab Saipradit, Jit Phumisak and Prasert Sapsunthorn.

Role of the monarchy

Under Sarit, the monarchy, which had been repressed by Phibun, was revitalised. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) attended public ceremonies, toured the provinces and patronised development projects, becoming a personally revered figure. Under Sarit, the practice of crawling in front of royalty during audiences, banned by King Chulalongkorn, was revived. Sarit introduced to government a new generation of economically liberal technocrats, encouraged private and foreign investment, launched major rural development programmes and rapidly expanded educational facilities.

Political legacy

When Sarit died in December 1963 power transferred peacefully to his close associates Generals Thanom Kittikachorn (who became Prime Minister) and Praphas Charusathian (Deputy Prime Minister). Thanom and Praphas basically maintained Sarit's totalitarian style of government, corruption, and anti-communist policies.

Wealth and family

After his death, an inheritance battle between his son, Major Setha Dhanarajata, and his young wife, Thanpuying Vichitra Dhanarajata, revealed to the public the massive extent of Sarit's wealth. Sarit had owned or held an interest in a trust company, a brewery, 51 cars, and some 30 parcels of land, most of which was doled out to a score of mistresses. Newspapers published the names of 100 women who claimed to have shared his bed at some time or other.^[4]

See also

• List of Prime Ministers of Thailand

References

1. ^ Richard Jensen, Jon Davidann, Sugita [2003]. Trans-Pacific Relations: America, Europe, and Asia in the Twentieth Century, 222. ISBN 0275977145. 
2. ^ Thak Chaloemtiarana. Thailand: The Politics of Despotic Paternalism. Thammasat University Press (1979). 
3. ^ Albert G. Pickerell. The Press of Thailand: Conditions and Trends. Journalism Quarterly (Winter 1960). 
4. ^ Time, "Sarit's Legacy", 27 March 1964

•  • e Prime Ministers of Thailand
Phraya Manopakorn Nititada · Phraya Phahon Phonphayuhasena† · Plaek Pibulsonggram† · Khuang Abhaiwongse† · Tawee Boonyaket · Seni Pramoj · Khuang Abhaiwongse · Pridi Phanomyong · Thawal Thamrong Navaswadhi† · Khuang Abhaiwongse† · Plaek Pibulsonggram† · Pote Sarasin† · Thanom Kittikachorn† · Sarit Dhanarajata† · Thanom Kittikachorn† · Sanya Dharmasakti · Seni Pramoj · Kukrit Pramoj · Seni Pramoj · Tanin Kraivixien · Kriangsak Chomanan† · Prem Tinsulanonda† · Chatichai Choonhavan · Anand Panyarachun† · Suchinda Kraprayoon† · Meechai Ruchuphan* · Anand Panyarachun · Chuan Leekpai · Banharn Silpa-Archa · Chavalit Yongchaiyudh · Chuan Leekpai · Thaksin Shinawatra · Surayud Chulanont†
* acting     † head of a military government