The Palace Rebellion was a 1949 coup attempt in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Its plotters aimed to overthrow the government of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram and to restore his main civilian rival,

Pridi Phanomyong Pridi Banomyong ( th, ปรีดี พนมยงค์, , ; 11 May 1900 – 2 May 1983), also known by his noble title Luang Praditmanutham ( th, หลวงประดิษฐ์มนูธรรม) was a Thai politician and professo ...

, to the Thai political scene. Pridi had disavowed the use of violence during the immediate aftermath of the 1947 coup, but the frustrations of exile eventually overcame him. Although in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, he still maintained contacts with his supporters in Thailand and, with their help, he laid plans for a countercoup. In the first week of February 1949, he secretly returned to Thailand. Phibun, however, soon learned of Pridi's intentions and quickly, a radio announcement was made in which he called Pridi his "friend." He went on to offer Pridi a position in the government, but Pridi decided to go ahead with his plans, and the field marshal's overtures were rebuffed. A state of emergency was declared by the government in anticipation of the countercoup. It began on February 26, when a

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's so ...

officer loyal to Pridi and a group of supporters seized a radio station, and Free Thai elements and

Thammasat University Thammasat University ( Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the Grand Pala ...

teachers and students occupied the Grand Palace. The group at the radio station announced on the air the formation of a new government headed by Pridi's friend, Direk Chaiyanam. Major-General

Sarit Thanarat Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat (also spelt ''Dhanarajata''; th, สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์, ; 16 June 1908 – 8 December 1963) was a Thai general who staged a coup in 1957, replacing Plaek Phibunsongkhram as Thailand's prime m ...

then moved troops in and easily managed to oust Pridi from the palace grounds. In the meanwhile, the

Royal Thai Navy The Royal Thai Navy ( Abrv: RTN, ทร.; th, กองทัพเรือไทย, ) is the naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known a ...

and the

Royal Thai Marine Corps The Royal Thai Marine Corps or RTMC ( th, ราชนาวิกโยธินแห่งราชอาณาจักรไทย) are the marines of the Royal Thai Navy. The Royal Thai Marine Corps was founded in 1932, when the first batt ...

took up defensive positions around Bangkok, to protect their allies. The rebels managed to escape in naval vessels across the Chao Phraya River, and navy units engaged the army in fierce street fighting. A ceasefire was declared that afternoon, but it would take the navy and the army a full week to negotiate a resolution to the crisis.

References

{{ThaiCoups Attempted coups in Thailand Conflicts in 1949 20th century in Thailand 1949 in Thailand