Pridi Phanomyong

Pridi Phanomyong (May 11, 1900 - May 2, 1983) was a Thai politician. He was a former Prime Minister and Senior Statesman of Thailand, and named one of the world great personalities of the century by the UNESCO in 2000. Portrait of national leader Pridi Phanomyong, presumed fair use for article about him This work is copyrighted. ... Portrait of national leader Pridi Phanomyong, presumed fair use for article about him This work is copyrighted. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1900 (MCM) is a common year starting on Monday. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the... The term statesman is a respectful term used to refer to diplomats, politicians, and other notable figures of state. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ...

Pridi Phanomyong was born in 1900 to a wealthy part Chinese farming family in Ayutthaya. He studied law at the University of Paris, and returned to Siam in 1927 to work in the Ministry of Justice. He quickly rose through the ranks, and was granted the honourary royal title of Luang Praditmanutham. Ayutthaya (also spelled Ayudhya or Ayuthia) refers to The old capital of Thailand, see Ayutthaya (city) The province around the city, Ayutthaya province The ruins of the old palace, see Ayutthaya historical park Ayutthaya kingdom as the period of Thai history (1365-1768) in which Ayutthaya was capital This is... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The historic University of Paris (French: Université de Paris) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganized as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ... For the country formerly called Siam see Thailand SIAM is an acronym for Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. ...

On June 24, 1932, the People's Party, with Pridi as the leader of the civilian faction, carried out a lightning coup d'etat that abruptly ended 150 years of absolute monarchy under the Chakri Dynasty. The Chakri dynasty have ruled Thailand since king Taksin was declared mad in 1782. ...

In 1933, Pridi went into voluntary exile when his radical economic plans, which called for the nationalisation of land and labour, were violently rejected by many as extreme and allegedly communistic.

He returned in 1934 to found Thammasat University, before assuming the posts of Minister of the Interior the same year, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1937, and Minister of Finance in 1938. มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์ , Thailands prestigious university. ...

Although he had been friends with Phibun during the early days of the People's Party, the two had fallen out during the following years. Pridi was violently anti-Japanese as well as a socialist, and therefore opposed many of Phibun's militaristic policies. Field Marshall Phibunsongkhram (July 14, 1887 - June 11, 1964) (also sometimes spelled Phibul Songkhram or Pibul Songgram) was prime minister and military dictator in Thailand from 1938-1944 and 1948-1957. ...

Pridi refused to sign the declaration of war against Britain and the United States in 1942 and, as a result, was kicked upstairs by Phibun to take on the figurehead role of Regent. In this capacity, Pridi built up the anti-Japanese underground Free Thai Movement ("Seri Thai") network in Thailand. Codenamed "Ruth", he established contact with the Allies and Seni Pramoj's parallel organisation based in the United States. As the war progressed and the fortunes of the Japanese had turned, public dissatisfaction grew and Phibun was forced to resign as prime minister in 1944. The Free Thai Movement or Khabuankan Seri Thai (Thai ขบวนการเสรีไทย) was a secret underground movement of a group of Thai people against Japan during World War II. This movement was one of the important sources to the Allies for intelligence in this region. ... Seni Pramoj in 1948 Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj (May 20, 1905 - July 28, 1997, Thai เสนีย์ ปราโมช) was a Thai politician and three times prime minister. ...

Khuang Abhaiwongse, the liberal lawyer and a member of the Seri Thai, was chosen to be prime minister due to "his ability to dissemble with the Japanese" to shield the growing Seri Thai movement while at the same time to improve surface relations with the Japanese. Major Khuang Abhaiwongse (May 17, 1902 - March 15, 1968; Thai ควง อภัยวงศ์) was three times prime minister of Thailand. ... The Free Thai Movement or Khabuankan Seri Thai (Thai ขบวนการเสรีไทย) was a secret underground movement of a group of Thai people against Japan during World War II. This movement was one of the important sources to the Allies for intelligence in this region. ...

With the end of the war and the Japanese surrender, the Seri Thai-dominated government immediately acted to "restore the pre-war status quo". As regent, Pridi termed "the declaration of war illegal and null, and void, and repudiated all agreements made with Japan by Phibun".

When he visited Bangkok in 1945, Lord Mountbatten, the Supreme Commander, South East Asia, recorded a tribute to Pridi in which he said that there had existed a unique situation wherein "the Supreme Allied Commander was exchanging vital military plans with the Head of a State technically at war with us". Bangkok from the Chao Phraya River at sunset, July 2004 The Wat Phra Kaew temple Bangkok Metropolitan Administration building Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep ( â–¶ (help· info)), or Krung Thep Maha Nakhon ( â–¶ (help· info), IPA: ), is the capital and largest city of Thailand, with an official 1990 population of... Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (June 25, 1900 – August 27, 1979) was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ...

Pridi retired from the regency when the King returned in December 1945, and was formally named Senior Statesman (Ratthaburut Awuso), and subsequently served as a respected advisor to the post-war, civilian governments under Tawee Boonyaket and Seni Pramoj. Tawee Boonyaket (November 10, 1904 - November 3, 1971, Thai: ทวี บุณยเกต) was a Thai politician, including a short term as prime minister. ... Seni Pramoj in 1948 Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj (May 20, 1905 - July 28, 1997, Thai เสนีย์ ปราโมช) was a Thai politician and three times prime minister. ...

In March 1946, Khuang, who had earlier been elected Prime Minister in January, resigned, and Pridi took the Premiership in an attempt to stabilise the political situation which was spiralling out of control.

On June 9, 1946, the young King Ananda Mahidol was found shot dead in his bed. A government commission, which included American and British doctors, reported that the king had probably been assassinated. Pridi was quickly associated with alleged anti-royalist sentiments and was held responsible for the King's death by much of the public. Rumours were spread by his opponents that Pridi was part of a conspiracy involved in the regicide, and that he had plans to turn Thailand into a republic. Pridi resigned in August, resumed his status of Senior Statesmen, and left on a world tour, visiting Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek and US-President Truman along the way. King Ananda Mahidol or Rama VIII (long royal name: Phrabat Somdej Phra Paramenthara Maha Ananda Mahidol Phra Athama Ramathibodinthra พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล พระอัฐมรามาธิบดินทร (roughly HM King Ananda Mahidol, the Eighth Ruler) (September 20, 1925 - June 9, 1946) was the eighth king of the Chakri dynasty of Thailand. ... Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925. ... Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the thirty-fourth Vice President (1945) and the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–53), succeeding to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. ...

On November 8, 1947, army troops seized various government installations in Bangkok. The coup, led by Lieutenant General Phin Choonhavan and Colonel Luang Katsongkhram, ousted Luang Thamrong's government. It marked the return to power of Phibun.

At the same time, armoured cars arrived in front of Pridi's riverside residence. However, when the troops entered, they found that Pridi had already escaped.

Pridi spent a week hiding with the Navy at Admiral Sindhu Songkhramchai's headquarters. On November 20, the senior statesman was spirited out of the country by British and American agents to Singapore.

Pridi secretly returned in 1949 in order to stage a pro-democracy coup d'etat against Phibun's dictatorship. When it failed, Pridi left for China, never to return to Thailand.

Pridi passed away on May 2, 1983, at his Antony Home in the suburbs of Paris.

On 30 October 1999 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) included Pridi Phanomyong's name in the calendar of Anniversaries of Great Personalities and Historic Events Calendar as a belated tribute to not so much his achievements, but his ideals and character integrity. UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ...

Further reading

• Pridi by Pridi: Selected Writings on Life, Politics, and Economy, Pridi Phanomyong, ISBN 9747551357
• Pridi Banomyong, Senior Statesman Commemorative Homepage