Village Scouts ( th, ลูกเสือชาวบ้าน, ) is the common name of a

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...

, ultranationalist

social movement A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and ma ...

and paramilitary

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

of volunteers from rural

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 b ...

. It is a countrywide organization that the King and Queen of Thailand have sponsored since 1972 in order to promote national unity. It was first founded by the Thai

Border Patrol Police The Border Patrol Police ( th, ตำรวจตระเวนชายแดน); (BPP) is a Thai paramilitary police under the jurisdiction of the Royal Thai Police, responsible for border security and counterinsurgency. History The Thai Bo ...

(BPP) under the aegis of the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

20th century Village Scouts

The Village Scouts were mustered from 1971 on to fight the communist insurgency and the pro-democracy movement in Thailand as well as the progressive Farmers' Federation of Thailand. They were modeled on the "grass roots" defense organizations in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. At their core were rich and independent farmers. The Village Scouts were organized in small cells, usually commanded by an urban right-wing politician. They were taught to oppose "radical elements", and to defend Thailand's symbolic trinity of nation-religion-monarchy. Directly controlled by the Ministry of Interior and sponsored by rich royalists in the cities, the Village Scouts' supreme patron was King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; ( Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Grea ...

. The king and the royal family visited Village Scout units to bless their scarves and flags. The Village Scouts would act as "ears and eyes" of the government and report strangers entering their villages to local officials. A short time after the establishment of the Village Scouts, over five million Thais, or 10 percent of the population, had completed the organization's five-day training course. From 1971 to 1985, more than ten million adult Thais had gone through Village Scout training. The Village Scouts were deployed to counter the protests of the pro-democracy and students movement. They were called via radio to occupy strategic points in all major towns during the protests against US bases in the country and against the return of ousted military dictators

Thanom Kittikachorn Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn ( th, ถนอม กิตติขจร, ; 11 August 1911 – 16 June 2004) was the leader of Thailand from 1963 to 1973, during which he staged a self-coup, until public protests which exploded into viole ...

and Praphas Charusathien. The probably best-known, and most impactful, mission of the Village Scouts was during the anti-leftist rally that led to the Thammasat University massacre on 6 October 1976, in which at least 46 people were killed and led to the subsequent coup d'état and return to military rule. By appealing more and more to urban, right-wing conservatives, the organization gradually moved away from its poor, rural base. The movement fizzled out during the 1980s.

21st century Village Scouts

The Village Scouts re-emerged as an ultranationalist mass organization after the turn of the millennium against the backdrop of the Muslim separatist conflict in the three southernmost provinces.

References

{{reflist Anti-communism in Thailand Vigilantes Nationalist movements in Asia Paramilitary organizations based in Thailand Military units and formations established in 1971 Communist insurgency in Thailand Far-right politics in Thailand

20th century Village Scouts

21st century Village Scouts

See also

References