October 6th student massacre...

[kwilco]

in case you forgot, this day is the anniversary of the 1976 Thammasat University student massacre by the Royal Thai Police, the Village Scouts, the Nawaphon, and the Red Gaurs.

"The official death toll was 45, including 5 perpetrators. The official records were autopsy reports. However, the unofficial death toll, given by the organization which handled the corpses, was more than 100." 

 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6_October_1976_massacre

[kwilco]

this was the anniversary of the event - (the anniversary of Tak bai is 25 October 2004 under Tkasin's term in office). 

 

the Thammasat event marked a return in Thai politics to military rule.

 

[scubascuba3]

So bad almost unbelievable story, i plan to talk to one of my thai friends about it to see if she's even heard of it

[kwilco]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

So bad almost unbelievable story, i plan to talk to one of my thai friends about it to see if she's even heard of it

It is pretty much common knowledge. 

It is how it is interpreted that may concern you.

[KhaoNiaw]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

So bad almost unbelievable story, i plan to talk to one of my thai friends about it to see if she's even heard of it

Both of the October events in 1973 and 1976 were major world news stories and students in Europe showed their support for their Thai counterparts. I'm surprised anyone who's spent much time in Thailand can't be aware of them. Even though Thais don't really talk about them much and they perhaps now receive less official recognition than ever, there are annual remembrance events and stories in the media here. 

[Lemsta69]

On 10/6/2023 at 3:05 PM, kwilco said:

in case you forgot

I don't know about this, thanks for the history lesson (no sarcasm intended). I'll read up on it for my edification.

[kwilco]

the student demos of 2020 sparked renewed interest in the Thammasat massacre - as the government started to threaten to prosecure (or persecute) students involved - of course using the LM laws.

 

Most of the "ultra - royalist/rightwing bodies involved still exist  today

[scubascuba3]

29 minutes ago, KhaoNiaw said:

I'm surprised anyone who's spent much time in Thailand can't be aware of them. Even though Thais don't really talk about them much and they perhaps now receive less official recognition than ever, there are annual remembrance events and stories in the media here. 

I've never seen it but I'm not actively looking into Thai history, they also never talk about the 2004 tsunami that killed thousands 

[Jai Dee]

Several posts discussing moderation have been removed as per our Community Standards.

[tgw]

On 10/6/2023 at 3:05 PM, kwilco said:

in case you forgot, this day is the anniversary of the 1976 Thammasat University student massacre by the Royal Thai Police, the Village Scouts, the Nawaphon, and the Red Gaurs.

"The official death toll was 45, including 5 perpetrators. The official records were autopsy reports. However, the unofficial death toll, given by the organization which handled the corpses, was more than 100." 

 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6_October_1976_massacre

the Wikipedia article is rather light on the role played by the elephant in the room : the Khmer Rouge.

 

I'm not sure if the massacre was avoidable or if it contributed to keep events similar to what happened in Cambodia from happening in Thailand.

[kwilco]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I've never seen it but I'm not actively looking into Thai history, they also never talk about the 2004 tsunami that killed thousands 

I think that is a purely personal perspective - mine is the opposite.

Firstly I work with Thai people and even now there is discussion about how the post-Teuname crisis was handle especially in Phuket - many of coastal villages hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami were cleared under the guise of safety to make way for tourist development . loads of families lost out.

I've worked in industry and Universities and students are painfully aware of Thai history.

I'm a trained historian and read extensively on Thai history - it is unfortunate that many papers and books about Thialand are not readily available in the Kingdom. Many try unsuccessfully to rewrite history but the pyblic in general take it with a pinch of salt.

[KhaoNiaw]

22 minutes ago, tgw said:

the Wikipedia article is rather light on the role played by the elephant in the room : the Khmer Rouge.

 

I'm not sure if the massacre was avoidable or if it contributed to keep events similar to what happened in Cambodia from happening in Thailand.

I'd genuinely be interested in any sources or material you could provide for seeing this as a genuine threat. As I understood it, the massacre served mainly to radicalize many of the student protesters and force them to join the CPT in the jungles, even though they weren't previously supporters. As the CPT turned to China, a lot of the student activists became disillusioned and with the conciliatory policy the government took up, they were then able to return. I remember hearing that after the Vietnamese entered Cambodia and pushed out the Khmer Rouge, Thai communists in the jungles tended to find the KR easier to get along with than other Cambodian factions when their paths crossed. 

 

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

I've never seen it but I'm not actively looking into Thai history, they also never talk about the 2004 tsunami that killed thousands 

I guess when I arrived here in the late 80s, it was only a few years since most of the students and activists had left the CPT and returned to 'normal' life. Popular culture was still influenced by the events and some of the former student leaders like Seksan Prasertkul and Thirayuth Boonmee were quite prominent media commentators. I have Thai friends who still participate in the annual remembrance events. May 1992 is also rarely mentioned any more but as you point out, this doesn't only apply to political upheaval.

[kwilco]

57 minutes ago, tgw said:

the Wikipedia article is rather light on the role played by the elephant in the room : the Khmer Rouge.

 

I'm not sure if the massacre was avoidable or if it contributed to keep events similar to what happened in Cambodia from happening in Thailand.

If you believe that you'll believe anything - you really need to read up on te real history rather than propaganda - Any elephant in the roon=m is the prence of right wing whitewashing of the events.

Ever since WW2 - the mititary in Thailand, backed by the US has used the ord "communisim" to justify their actions - If you look at the history of Kmer Rouge and Thailand you'll see what nonsense that "elephant" iea is/was.

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, kwilco said:

I think that is a purely personal perspective - mine is the opposite.

Firstly I work with Thai people and even now there is discussion about how the post-Teuname crisis was handle especially in Phuket - many of coastal villages hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami were cleared under the guise of safety to make way for tourist development . loads of families lost out.

i went back to Khao Lak a few years later, where thousands died, nothing there to commemorate the deaths, forgotten easy

[kwilco]

8 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

i went back to Khao Lak a few years later, where thousands died, nothing there to commemorate the deaths, forgotten easy

A lot of those who died were in families who were squatting the land - they lost all that to developers who naturally don't want people to know what happeed. Also a lot of people living on the coast who survived refused to or didn't want to return and live on higher ground, but have lost there income.

 

I was last there in 2019 and there were a few memorials dotted along the coast...

https://www.jamiesphuketblog.com/2013/05/khao-lak-tsunami-memorials.html

 

[zzaa09]

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

So bad almost unbelievable story, i plan to talk to one of my thai friends about it to see if she's even heard of it

On the contrary, very believable. 

There have been more than a few nasty atrocities akin to Hok Tula of contemporary times and of the historic past.....all of which tend to be whitewashed from surface memory and historic accounts. 

[scubascuba3]

31 minutes ago, kwilco said:

A lot of those who died were in families who were squatting the land - they lost all that to developers who naturally don't want people to know what happeed. Also a lot of people living on the coast who survived refused to or didn't want to return and live on higher ground, but have lost there income.

 

I was last there in 2019 and there were a few memorials dotted along the coast...

https://www.jamiesphuketblog.com/2013/05/khao-lak-tsunami-memorials.html

 

Good they built memorials after. i was there 2 weeks before tsunami, most people i saw working on the beach must of died, except divers it seems.

 

I visited that police boat that was swept 1km Inland, amazing really