October 6 massacre — a history
The victory of the democracy wing in 1973 resulted in military dictator, Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn, being exiled from Thailand to Singapore. Many viewed this development as a triumph for the people, as it was mainly driven by university students.
Thanom, however, returned to Thailand in September 1976 and received his monastic ordination at the Wat Pavaranivesh Vihara Ratchawarawihan. The incident stirred the fury of activists, especially young ones, who flocked to Sanam Luang (the royal crematorium) before staging a protest at Thammasat University.
On September 24, Wichai Ketsriphongsorn and Chumphon Thummai, two labour activists from Nakhon Pathom province, who had put up anti-Thanom posters, were attacked and beaten to death. Their bodies were gruesomely hung from a gate in the province’s Muang district, which later became known as…
