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 from Thailand's northeast region. He was a patron of the Lao strongman General Phoumi Nosavan. The following is a list of Prime Ministers of Thailand: Phraya Manopakorn Nititada, (1932-1933) General Phraya Phahol Pholphayuhasena, (1933-1938) Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, (1938-1944) Major Khuang Abhaiwongse, (1944-1945) Tawee Boonyaket, (1945) Seni Pramoj, (1945) Major Khuang Abhaiwongse, (1946) Luang Praditmanutham, (1946) Rear Admiral Thawal Thamrong Navaswadhi... is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Thanom Kittikachorn Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn (August 11, 1912 -June 16, 2004, Thai ถนอม กิตติขจร) was a Thai military leader and former prime minister of Thailand. ... Thanom Kittikachorn Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn (August 11, 1912 -June 16, 2004, Thai ถนอม กิตติขจร) was a Thai military leader and former prime minister of Thailand. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... A BTS skytrain passing the Sathon area of Bangkok. ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A BTS skytrain passing the Sathon area of Bangkok. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Dictator is originally the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand Pak Isan (also written as Isaan, Issan, or Esarn; Thai/Isan อีสาน) is the northeast region of Thailand. ... Phoumi Nosavan (1920-1985) was a Lao military and political figure of the Second Indochina War. ...

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.^[1] Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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). is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The flag of Thailand shows five horizontal stripes in the colours red, white, blue, white and red. ...

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^[2] 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. Sang Phathanothai (1914 – June, 1986) was a Thai politician, union leader, and journalist. ... Jit Phumisak Chit Phumisak (Thai: , 25 September 1930 – 5 May 1966) was a Thai author, historian and poet. ...

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. 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. ... Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thai: ; IPA: ; Royal Institute: Phumiphon Adunyadet;  ) (born December 5, 1927), is the current King of Thailand. ... Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX of Thailand His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej (ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช, Phumiphon Adunyadet), King Rama IX of Thailand (royal name Phra Chaoyuhua Bhumibol Adulyadej), the Great (born December 5, 1927), has been King of Thailand since... King Chulalongkorn the Great or Rama V (royal name: Phra Chula Chomklao Chaoyuhua; Thai: ) (September 20, 1853 – October 23, 1910) was the fifth king of the Chakri dynasty of Thailand. ...

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. Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Thanom Kittikachorn Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn (August 11, 1912 -June 16, 2004, Thai ถนอม กิตติขจร) was a Thai military leader and former prime minister of Thailand. ...

Wealth and family

After his death, an inheritance battle between his son, Major Setha, and his young wife, Thanpuying Vichitra, 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 automobiles, and some 30 pieces 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.^[3] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mistress is the feminine form of the word master. ...

See also

• List of Prime Ministers of Thailand

The following is a list of Prime Ministers of Thailand: Phraya Manopakorn Nititada, (1932-1933) General Phraya Phahol Pholphayuhasena, (1933-1938) Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, (1938-1944) Major Khuang Abhaiwongse, (1944-1945) Tawee Boonyaket, (1945) Seni Pramoj, (1945) Major Khuang Abhaiwongse, (1946) Luang Praditmanutham, (1946) Rear Admiral Thawal Thamrong Navaswadhi...

References

1. ^ Thak Chaloemtiarana. Thailand: The Politics of Despotic Paternalism. Thammasat University Press (1979). 
2. ^ Albert G. Pickerell. The Press of Thailand: Conditions and Trends. Journalism Quarterly (Winter 1960). 
3. ^ Time, "Sarit's Legacy", 27 March 1964

v • d • e Prime Ministers of Thailand
Phraya Manopakorn Nititada · Phot Phahonyothin† · 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