Siamese coup d'état of 1947


The Siamese coup d'état of 1947 was a Thai coup d'état that took place on the evening of 7 November 1947, ending in the early morning hours of 8 November. The coup ousted the government of Rear Admiral Thawan Thamrongnawasawat, who was replaced by Khuang Aphaiwong as Prime Minister of Thailand. The coup was led by Lieutenant-General Phin Chunhawan and Colonel Kat Katsongkhram.

Background

On 1 August 1944, as the Allies were winning the Second World War, the pro-Japanese strongman Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram

Prelude

Rear Admiral Thamrong’s government was soon engulfed in scandals.
Thamrong privately confided to US Ambassador Edwin F. Stanton that the evidence gathered during investigations of the regicide implicated King Bhumibol in the late king's death. In a declassified US State Department memo, Ambassador Stanton noted: "Luang Thamrong said speaking quite confidentially the evidence which was accumulated while he was Prime Minister tended to implicate the present young King, but that he would never have dared to hint by any official action that such was the case."
Luang Thamrong noted that Bhumibol would probably abdicate if it was revealed that he was involved in the regicide and that this would cause "confusion and wild intrigue". Those next in the line of succession to the throne, Prince Chumbhotbongs Paribatra and Prince Bhanubandhu Yugala, were both unpopular and he thought they would probably not be able to ascend to the throne. Luang Thamrong doubted whether the murder would ever be cleared up inasmuch as he felt Siam could not dispense with the monarchy.
Thamrong's government was also faced with charges of corruption, stemming from a government program to hand out free shovels and spades to rural farmers. The farming equipment brought and handed out was sub-standard, leading to charges of corruption and embezzlement by the public. The scandal became known as the "eating from shovels scandal". This, and other scandals, led to a debate, called for by the Democrats, and a vote of no confidence, which Thamrong survived.
When asked by a journalist the prime minister joked that he was, "already sleeping for a coup" , confident at the time that he had the backing of the military, especially the army. He was wrong.

The plotters

The coup was led by Lieutenant General Phin Choonhavan and Colonel Kard Kardsonggram. Other members of the group were: Police General Phao Sriyanond, Colonel Sarit Dhanarajata, Colonel Thanom Kittikachorn, and Lieutenant Colonel Praphas Charusathien, Captain Chatichai Choonhavan . They called themselves the "National Soldier's Committee".

The coup

The plotters planned the coup to begin at 05:00 on 8 November. Their plot, however, was discovered days earlier by the commander-in-chief of the army who, in an effort to thwart the attempt, ordered all senior officers to report for duty at army headquarters immediately. The plotters accordingly changed their plan to start the coup at 23:00 on 7 November instead.
They began by sending a squadron of tanks to Amphorn Gardens near the centre of government. They immediately arrested Prime Minister Thamrong and held him hostage. Another tank squadron went to search for Pridi. After arriving at his riverside residence they found that he has escaped, leaving only his wife and children who were arrested. Unbeknownst to them, Pridi was hiding under the protection of Admiral Luang Sinthusongkramchai, commander of the Royal Thai Navy at his base.
On the morning of 8 November, General Choonhavan read a declaration to the press and broadcast by radio outlining the plotter's reasoning. They claimed they were right to remove the government as people were suffering under high prices and the general lack of foods and goods. This they considered a grievous lack of competence by the government. Finally they reckoned that the government was unable to solve the problem and must be removed by force. During the speech he cried profusely and was dubbed sarcastically by the press as the "hero of tears", or the "crying patriot".
The National Soldier's Committee then called for Khuang, the Leader of the Opposition to take over as prime minister. He assumed the position on 12 November, becoming prime minister for the third time. The committee set up their own legislative assembly called the "Council of Ministers of the Assembly", making a deal with Khaung that, if he stayed out of their business, they would stay out of his.
On 25 November 1947, Prince Rangsit of Chainant the Regent of Siam signed a provisional charter or the Constitution of 1947. King Bhumibol, who was studying in Lausanne, Switzerland at the time endorsed him.
On 29 January 1948 elections were held in which Khuang and his party won the majority of the votes and seats in the new assembly. Later Khuang was confirmed as prime minister. But on 6 April, the committee, under the leadership of Kardsonggram, forced Khuang to resign his post. They instead invited Field Marshal Phibun to return to the post. He became prime minister for the second time on 8 April 1948.

Legacy

The most obvious legacy of the coup was the reinstatement of Phibun and his dictatorship. The coup also increased the role of the Royal Thai Army, and gave it a model of how to carry out coups in the future. Henceforth, under the pretext of saving the nation, the military would topple any democratic government it pleased. The coup elicited little response from the populace. The Democrat Party remained in opposition until 1975. Phibun would resume his dictatorship and rule until 1957. The plotters from then on were known as the Coup Group.
The coup inadvertently led to the draft and signing of the 1949 Constitution. The most Royalist constitution to date, it gave the monarchy back almost all of the powers that were taken away from it by the 1932 Revolution.
The coup also brought an end to Pridi's career and any dreams his supporters might have of his resuming the premiership. On 20 November 1948 Pridi was spirited out of the country by British and American agents never to return to Thailand. He died in Paris in 1983, aged 83.
The coup proved to be a stepping stone for three individuals involved, whose names would later become common in the politics of Thailand. They would all become prime ministers and two of them would go on to one day lead coups of their own. They were, Sarit Dhanarajata, Thanom Kittikachorn, and Chatichai Choonhavan.