Rue Du Sommerard in Paris was the establishment place for the People's Party
The Promoters
In 1927, the Kingdom of Siam, the Rattanakosin Kingdom, was under the absolutist rule of the Chakri dynasty, under King Prajadhipok (Rama VII). Under his reign, the nation experienced troubles stemming from an archaic government confronted with serious economic problems and threats from abroad, the British and French Empires. The country was also experiencing a dramatic social change as the urban and middle classes of Bangkok started growing, slowly demanding more rights from their government, criticizing it as ineffective. These changes were mostly led by men, civilians and the military, who had graduated or travelled abroad. They wanted to transform Siam into a modern country like a Western democracy.
In February 1927, a group of seven Siamese students, later known as the "promoters",[9] met at a hotel on the Rue Du Sommerard in Paris and founded what would become the Khana Ratsadon. For five days, they met and proposed arguments for and against various aspects of the movement, the men were:[10]
A school notebook published in 1934, with illustrations of the six principles on its cover, displayed at Thai Parliament Museum, Bangkok
The revolutionaries made Pridi Panomyong their president and termed themselves the "promoters" (Thai: ผู้ก่อการ; RTGS: Phu Ko Kan). The party determined a sixfold objective which was later called the "Six Principles" (Thai: หลักหกประการ; RTGS: Lak Hok Prakan), as follows:
1. To maintain the supreme power of the Thai people.
In power, the People's Party intensified assimilationist policies towards the Chinese community in Siam.[11]: 138 From 1938 to 1939, it passed a series of laws to eliminate the economic influence of Chinese people, including prohibiting Chinese from certain professions, dealing in certain goods, and living in specified residential areas.[11]: 138–139 The country's Nationality Law was amended in 1939 to require that all Chinese seeking to become citizens had to adopt Thai names, enroll their children in Thai schools, speak Thai, and renounce any allegiance to China.[11]: 139
Legacy
The party was eventually successful in their goal of revolution by bloodless coup. By 1933 they had turned Siam into a single party state. However the party itself was short-lived, due to infighting as the party had too many factions, conflicting interests, and political beliefs. The party eventually divided into two factions, a civilian faction led by Pridi Bhanomyong, and a military faction led by Marshal Pibulsongkram.
As the party lost power, subsequent governments attempted to downplay their significance and erase their legacy. Part of this was accomplished through the removal of architecture associated with the party, most significantly beginning with the demolition of Sala Chaloem Thai in 1989. This movement intensified in the 2010s; the Supreme Court building controversially demolished in 2013, and following the 2014 coup, multiple landmarks became quietly removed without explanation. On the 88th anniversary of the revolution in 2020, the Reuters news service identified six historical markers memorialising the People's Party and the events of 1932 which have been removed or renamed over the previous year. In most cases it is not known who is responsible. Some historians, such as Chatri Prakitnonthakan of Silpakorn University, interpreted these removals as an attempted "ideological cleansing" by the conservative establishment.[12]
A memorial plaque honoring the 1932 Revolution was reported missing on 14 April 2017. It was thought to be stolen on 5 April and was replaced with another plaque with text praising the Chakri Dynasty. As of 2019[update], no one has taken responsibility for the theft.[13] The 1932 Revolution brass plaque, about 30 centimeters across, was embedded in the asphalt of the Royal Plaza, less than 10 meters from the equestrian statue depicting King Rama V. The site is where the revolt took place on 24 June 1932. Here, a declaration condemning absolute monarchy was read. Press reports noted that ultraroyalist groups had threatened to remove the plaque in the months preceding its theft.[13]
A Royal Thai Army artillery base in Lopburi Province bore the name of General Phraya Phahon until 2019 when, at the order of the current king, Vajiralongkorn, it was renamed King Bhumibol base. Long-standing statues of Phraya Phahon and Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram installed at the base are to be removed and replaced by a statue of King Bhumibol.[14]
Public perception and discourse over the party's legacy has also fluctuated over time. Their role in establishing a constitutional monarchy was glossed over by school textbooks, and rhetoric dismissing the party's actions as premature was popularized. Such ideas were reignited in the 2010s, as ideological conflicts over democracy and the monarchy intensified. Conservative writers demonized the People's Party as republicans. This led to a reactionary response by liberal groups. During the 2020 protests, youth protesters symbolically installed a new plaque in Sanam Luang,[15] and a group leading the protest movement called themselves "Khana Ratsadon 2563" (People's Party 2020).[16]
Members
The members of the People's Party were a mix of both military officers and civilians. Lieutenant Krachang Tularak was its last surviving member. He died on 24 June 2009 at the age of 98.[17]
Military faction
Army faction
(L to R): Phraya Songsuradet. Phraya Phahonphonphayuhasena, Phraya Ritthiakhaney and Phra Phrasasphithayayut, the Four Musketeers or the Four Tiger SoldiersKhana Ratsadon (army faction)
Colonel Phahonphonphayuhasena (Phot Phahonyothin), the Head of the military faction and leader of Khana Ratsadon
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