Nuamthong Praiwan ( th, นวมทอง ไพรวัลย์; ) (21 October 1946 – 31 October 2006) was a Thai taxi driver who drove his taxi into a

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

in protest after the military coup of 2006. He was later found hanging from a pedestrian footbridge. Officials found a suicide note and later ruled his death a suicide. His sacrifices were praised by several democracy activists.

Driving taxi into tank

At 6 am, Saturday 30 September 2006, Nuamthong drove his taxi, spray painted with the words " DR isdestroying the country," and "Sacrificing life", into an M41 Walker Bulldog tank at Bangkok's Royal Plaza. Nuamthong was severely injured and taken to a police station nearby. "I did it intentionally to protest the junta that has destroyed our country, and I painted all the words myself," noted Nuamthong to reporters from his bed at Vachira Hospital. Nuamthong was charged with damaging state property. Authorities downplayed the incident, saying that Nuamthong was drunk and no messages were sprayed on the taxi. However, several newspapers reported on the legibility of the words painted on the car. Akkara Thiproj, deputy spokesperson for the military junta, expressed scepticism about Nuamthong's intentions in crashing into the tank, and claimed that "Nobodies’ ideals are so great that they would sacrifice their lives for them."The Nation
Suicide is treated with sensitivity by officials
2 November 2006 He was released from the hospital on 12 October, and attended the 33rd anniversary of the 14 October 1973 democratic uprising.

Death

Nuamgthong's body was found hanging, with a hood covering his face, from a footbridge on

Vibhavadi Rangsit road Vibhavadi Rangsit Road ( th, ถนนวิภาวดีรังสิต, ) or Highway 31, often informally called Vibhavadi Road (), is a highway in Thailand. The road begins at Phaya Thai district in Bangkok and crosses Chatuchak, Lak ...

near the headquarters of

Thai Rath ''Thairath'' ( th, ไทยรัฐ, lit. ''Thai State'') is a daily newspaper in Thai published in Bangkok and distributed nationwide. The paper is a broadsheet published with two sections. The first section is devoted to news. Although the ne ...

newspaper in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

on 31 October 2006. Police ruled the death a suicide after forensic tests were stated to have shown no traces of a physical assault or struggle. Although Nuamthong's body was found with a suicide note, family members testified that he had given no hint of being depressed or about to commit suicide. Nuamthong wore a black T-shirt with a drawing of the

Democracy Monument The Democracy Monument ( th, อนุสาวรีย์ประชาธิปไตย, ''Anusawari Prachathipatai'') is a public monument in the city center of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. It occupies a traffic circle on the wide east– ...

and a poem about the power of the masses. Newspaper clippings about his crash into the army tank were also found on his body. His wife, Boonchu, said he had given no farewells or done anything that would suggest he was planning to kill himself. His wife noted, "I couldn't be more sad losing the love of my life and the leader of my family. I didn't think he would be this brave, but I'm very proud of him for sacrificing for the country."The Nation
Taxi driver 'sacrificed himself for democracy'
, 2 November 2006

Funeral

Funeral rites were held at

Wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

Bua Kwan in Nonthaburi's Muang district. A score of senior police showed up at his funeral at Wat Bua Kwan in Nonthaburi to "keep the peace" while pro-democracy groups sent representatives and flower wreaths to honour his death. His wife later attempted to transport his coffin to the 14 October 1973 Memorial on Ratchadamnoen road for bathing rituals. Police prevented her van from arriving at the Memorial. About 200 people attended the second night of Nuamthong's funeral at Wat Bua Kwan. Among them were military and police officers, politicians from the Thai Rak Thai Party and National Human Rights Commissioner Jaran Dithapichai. Sant Hathirat read a statement declaring Nuamthong a "democracy martyr." He was also praised by activist and former senator

Prateep Ungsongtham Hata Prateep Ungsongtham Hata ( th, ประทีป อึ้งทรงธรรม ฮาตะ; ; born 9 August 1952) is a Thai activist noted for her work with slum dwellers in the Khlong Toei District of Bangkok, Thailand. Among her supporters ...

, who noted, "Uncle Nuamthong has made the biggest sacrifice for democracy. I fought for democracy all my life but don't have the courage to do as much as he did." Junta deputy spokesperson Akara Tipparoj apologised for his earlier claim that nobody would hurt themselves for political ideals and claimed he planned to attend the funeral, the Young People for Democracy Movement (YPD) condemned Akara's views as ignorant and noted that; "His remark is an insult, as Thailand has a long history of people dying to defend democracy from dictatorship." Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont said he was saddened by the news but doubted there would be copycat suicide attempts. After his death, an interview Nuamthong had earlier given was partially aired by

iTV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

. The broadcast came to an abrupt end after the Director of Army-owned Channel 5 called to give a warning. Additional troops were dispatched to keep order at the station.

Last letter

Commemoration events

Annually on 31 October, at a footbridge on

near the headquarters of

newspaper in

, pro-democracy activists and supporters commemorated the symbolic suicide of Nuamthong Praiwan. In 2013, about a thousand of anti-coup activists and Red Shirts commemorated the seventh anniversary of the suicide. The

United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) ( th, แนวร่วมประชาธิปไตยต่อต้านเผด็จการแห่งชาติ; นปช., alternatively translated as National Demo ...

group donated two million baht to Nuamthong's wife. The donation was from

Potjaman Na Pombejra Khun Ying Potjaman Na Pombejra ( th, พจมาน ณ ป้อมเพชร; ), formerly Potjaman Shinawatra ( th, พจมาน ชินวัตร; ), née Soypetpotjaman Damapong ( th, สร้อยเพชรพจมาน � ...

, ex-wife of former Prime Minister

Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra ( th, ทักษิณ ชินวัตร; ; ; Chinese: 丘達新; cnr, Taksin Šinavatra; born 26 July 1949), is a Thai businessman, politician and visiting professor. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, a ...

Films

''Democracy After Death'' ''Democracy After Death: The Tragedy of Uncle Nuamthong Praiwan'' directed by, the exile, Neti Wichiansaen (Pruay Santihead) in 2016. It was a combination of animation, performances and news footage. The director tried to examined the period of Thai politics defined by the military coup of 2006 and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. Neti was accused of violating Article 112 in late 2010.

References

External links

Democracy After Death: The Tragedy of Uncle Nuamthong Praiwan (directed by Neti Wichiansaen, 2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Praiwan, Nuamthong 1946 births Civil rights activists

Nuamthong Praiwan Nuamthong Praiwan ( th, นวมทอง ไพรวัลย์; ) (21 October 1946 – 31 October 2006) was a Thai taxi driver who drove his taxi into a tank in protest after the military coup of 2006. He was later found hanging from a ped ...

2006 suicides

2006 deaths