Khrong Chandawong (28 January 1908 – 31 May 1961) was a Thai politician and democracy activist who was executed on the orders of dictator Sarit Thanarat. His last words before his execution; “May dictatorship be wrecked. May democracy be flourish.” ( th, เผด็จการจงพินาศ ประชาธิปไตยจงเจริญ), have been repeatedly quoted in various protests and demonstrations for Thailand’s struggling democracy.

Early life

Born to a well-off farming family in Sakon Nakhon Province, Chandawong began his career as a teacher in his home region. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he joined the Free Thai Movement (Seri Thai), an underground anti-Japanese resistance movement.

Political activities

In the post-war era, Chandawong's activities attracted the ire of several Thai governments. He was a close friend of

Tiang Sirikhanth Tiang Sirikhanth ( th, เตียง ศิริขันธ์; ; December 5, 1909 - December 12, 1952) was a Thai politician and a Seri Thai resistance leader during World War II. Early life Tiang was born to a merchant family in Sakon Nak ...

,Fry, Gerald W., Nieminen, Gayla S., Smith, Harold E
"Historical Dictionary of Thailand"
pg. 216 who, like Chandawong, was a schoolteacher from Sakon Nakhon and former member of Seri Thai, and who was killed in 1952 on orders of the

Phibun Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram ( th, แปลก พิบูลสงคราม ; alternatively transcribed as ''Pibulsongkram'' or ''Pibulsonggram''; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964), locally known as Marshal P. ( th, จอมพล � ...

government. Chandawong founded ''Sammakkhittham'' ('Solidarity'), a peasant-based group which allegedly attracted thousands of members in northeastern Thailand and was seen as a threat by the central government. Chandawong was jailed for five years from 1952 to 1957 on charges of rebellion, before being released as part of a mass amnesty. After his release, Chandawong became a member of

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for Sakon Nakhon from 1957–1958. He advocated repeal of anti-communist laws, direct election of village headmen, and

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...

separatism. On 6 May 1961, Chandawong and several dozen others were arrested for alleged communist activities. He was accused of anti-

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and anti-monarchical activities. According to the statement announcing his execution, he had stated that, after a communist revolution in Thailand, the king and monks would be sent to labor in factories.

Execution and aftermath

On 30 May 1961, Prime Minister Sarit Thanarat met with his cabinet and decreed that Chandawong and Thongpan Sutthimat were to be executed "to protect national security and the Throne". The pair were summarily executed the next day. After the execution, Chandawong's wife and daughter, along with other activists, fled into the mountains of northeastern Thailand; they made contacts with the

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...

and would form the core of the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT). His daughter, under the alias Rassamee, became something of a cult figure in the CPT, while two of his sons became provincial-level figures within the movement. A small monument was erected to Chandawong and Thongpan in 2003, but was later moved inside a government compound and then had a road built within a meter of the new location.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandawong, Khrong 1908 births 1961 deaths Khrong Chandawong Khrong Chandawong Khrong Chandawong Khrong Chandawong Khrong Chandawong Khrong Chandawong Khrong Chandawong