50 years ago this week, growing discontent with the Thai ruling elite’s corruption and abuse of power boiled over into a major campus protest at Thammasat University, one of Thailand’s oldest universities and a hotbed of political activism, before escalating into widespread street demonstrations.
They culminated in an unprecedented popular uprising that saw hundreds of thousands of people rally on Rajadamnern Avenue in Bangkok on October 14th, to demand an end to dictatorship under the Thanom government. Hundreds, including university students, were gunned down by security forces, but the pro-democracy protesters won the day.
On that day, the corrupt regime, led by Prime Minister Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn and his military cohorts, crumbled after more than 10 years in power. It was, without a doubt, a triumph for people power, but it came with a heavy price in terms of…
