Photos: Ginger Cat
An event marking the 53rd anniversary of the 14 October 1973 popular uprising took place this morning (14 October) at the 14 October Memorial on Ratchadamnoen Road in Bangkok.
The event began with a Buddhist alms-giving ceremony, followed by Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim rites. Government representatives, opposition politicians, as well as civil society groups then placed flowers in front of the monument.
After the ceremony, Thammasat University political science lecturer Fuadi Pitsuwan delivered a keynote speech.
The 14 October 1973 popular uprising was a mass protest in Bangkok, in which students and members of the public rallied against the military dictatorship under Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, who had been Prime Minister since 1963 after succeeding Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat. On 14 October 1973, protesters marched to the Grand Palace to demand Thanom’s resignation and were met with violence from the police and military. 66 people were killed and over 800 were injured.
The uprising eventually resulted in the end of Thanom’s rule. Thanom resigned and fled the country on 15 October 1973 along with Field Marshal Prapas Charusathien and Thanom’s son Narong Kittikachorn, who was married to Prapas’ daughter. While in exile, Thanom was ordained as a novice monk at a temple in Singapore. His return to Thailand in October 1976 sparked a student protest which ended with the 6 October 1976 Thammasat University Massacre.