Goerwitz

This picture was taken while we toured the new Rangsit campus of of Thammasat, the Thai "political" university. Two of the people we traveled with are currently students there, one a law student (the Faculty of Law building is, in fact, on the left side of the picture). The other is studying economics.

The statue in the foreground is of Sanya Thammasak (1907-2002). Sanya Thammasak, a former judge and President of the Supreme Court, served as president of Thammasat University until he was appointed Prime Minister of Thailand in 1973 after a popular uprising swept military strongman, Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn, from power.

Thammasat University itself was founded by originally by Pridi Banomyong, one of the leaders of the 1932 coup that brought constitutional monarchy to Thailand. His is regarded as the parent of modern Thai democracy. In 1934, he founded the University of Moral and Political Sciences, which was later renamed Thammasat University, and became its first president.

Given the institution's history, it's perhaps no surprise that Thammasat University students have a rich tradition of dissent, protest, and of suffering.

For example, after doctored photographs were published in the media depicting Thammasat students hanging Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in effigy, the public went wild and both military and paramilitary forces attacked the University, leading to a bloody massacre on October 6th, 1976.

Incidentally, lessons to be learned here (especially for foreigners) include never saying or doing anything to disparage Thai royalty. I'm not kidding about this, either. It's not even a good idea to talk about things like the king's political role, e.g., during the 1970s. Just leave the subject alone, unless you just want to say something nice, or, as I found, you happen to be talking with a battle hardened politician who is accustomed to talking about such matters.