1991 Thai coup d'état

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1991 Thai coup d'etat

Sunthorn Kongsompong coup leaders
Date23 February 1991; 33 years ago (1991-02-23)
Location
Thailand
Result

Successful military and police takeover

Belligerents

 Royal Thai Armed Forces
Royal Thai Police

Supported by:
Monarchy of Thailand		 Chatichai Cabinet
Commanders and leaders
Thailand Sunthorn Kongsompong
Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon
Thailand Isarapong Noonpakdee
Thailand Praphat Kritsanachan
Thailand Kaset Rojananil		 Chatichai Choonhavan
Arthit Kamlang-ek
Strength
Thai military +283,000[1] None
Casualties and losses
None None

The 1991 Thai coup d'état was a military coup against the democratic Chatichai Choonhavan government, carried out by Thai military leaders on 23 February. Although the figure head was Sunthorn Kongsompong, there was a military influence from military leaders, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Suchinda Kraprayoon, and Kaset Rojananil in the conflict. Chalerm Yubamrung, a politician, was also involved in the beginning of the conflict which began since 1990 but reached the peak in February 1991 due to a strong executive order of Chatichai. Later in May 1992, protesters calling for democracy were massacred by the military regime, known as 'Black May.'

Background

1985 Thai coup d'état attempt. Prem consulted with Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and chose Chatichai Choonhavan as the next candidate.[2] Chatichai's Thai Nation Party won the most votes in the 1988 Thai general election
, resulting in Chatichai being appointed prime minister on 4 August 1988. This made Chatichai the first democratically elected head of government after 12 years of dictatorship and "semi-democracy".

Prelude

President George Bush and Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan at the White House in 1990

In 1990, Under Chatichai premiership, Chavalit was appointed as Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Group of top military personnel within the government side such as, Suchinda Kraprayoon and Kaset Rojananil, classmates in the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School Class 5, had a good relationship with Chatichai. Nevertheless, Chavalit and the military had an ongoing conflict with Chalerm Yubamrung, Minister for Office of the Prime Minister, overseeing the Mass Communications Organization of Thailand. Chavalit then resigned from his position on 11 June.[3]

On 17 June 1990, Chalerm ordered the trailer-mounted

radio station, belonging to the MCOT, out of fear of a coup from military radio broadcasting. 19 June, Chavalit had a meeting with top military leaders all over the country. Chatichai called Chavalit to come back but Chavalit rejected. Three days later, Sunthorn seized Chalerm's trailer.[3]

Later in August, Arthit Kamlang-ek, the leader of the opposition party, joined the government side. That built up more conflict in the parliament. Military leaders pressured Chatichai to dismiss Chalerm, and Chatichai followed it on 8 November but kept Chalerm as Deputy Education Minister. The military decided to announce no support to the Premier, based on the rumor circulating that Chatichai planned to dismiss Suchinda and Sunthorn.[4]

The tension between the military and Chatichai reached its peak in February 1991, when Chatichai dismissed

King Bhumibol in Bhubing Palace.[5]

Coup

Chatichai Choonhavan and Arthit Kamlang-ek were arrested by Royal Thai Air Force men in an airforce base in Chiang Mai before taking off to Bangkok on 23 February 1991, ended the longest prime minister tenure ever served as democratic leader elected in Southeast Asia at that time. In Bangkok, hundreds of full-gear armed soldiers and armored cars took over the Government House. The radio and television stations were captured, announcing the statements urging people to remain peaceful.[6]

caretaker prime minister. The junta also arrested Chatichai's family and his assistants.[6]

The alleged reasons for coup against the democratic government were

parliamentary dictatorship, military unity and solidarity was curbing, and alleged involvement in murder case and attempted overthrown of the monarchy of Manoonkrit Roopkachorn presence in the government.[7][8]

Three days later, on 26 February, King Bhumibol Adulyadej approved the coup, and never before in the history, the king criticised Chatichai government that 'failed to gain the people's confidence' and "failed to maintain peace and order in the country.' Bhumibol also urged people 'to remain calm' and called the military 'to follow the orders' of Sunthorn.[9]

Sunthorn formally accepted the king's appointment at the Thai Army Auditorium, to celebrate the royal approval, the junta leaders toasted each other with champagne in a televised ceremony. The SET index value revived to the same value as pre-coup, after it went down by 7%.[9]

Conflict between Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School Class 5 and Class 7 was one of the root causes according to Tamada.[10]

Aftermath

The United States immediately suspended $16 million aid for development projects in military and economic.[6]

1991 constitutions

The

King Bhumibol intervened in his 4 December birthday speech, urging the public to accept the draft and noting that "procedures or principles that we have imported for use are sometimes not suitable to the conditions of Thailand or the character of Thai people."[12][13]

Disappearance of Tanong Po-arn

social security system.[14] Soon after the coup, the NPKC abolished labour unions in state enterprises, leaving over 270,000 union members without trade union rights.[14]
Tanong was publicly critical of the NPKC.

Tanong was scheduled to appear at the

Rat Burana District
, Bangkok.

Black May

See also: Black May (1992)

The 1991 constitution allowed Suchinda Kraprayoon to be appointed as prime minister. That caused 17–20 May 1992 popular protest in Bangkok against the government of Suchinda and the military crackdown that followed. Up to 200,000 people demonstrated in central Bangkok at the height of the protests. The military crackdown resulted in 52 government-confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries including journalists, over 3,500 arrests, hundreds of disappearances, and eyewitness reports of a truck filled with bodies leaving the city.[16] Many of those arrested are alleged to have been tortured.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Thailand Military Size 1985-2021". www.macrotrends.net.
  2. ^ Tamada 1995, p. 331.
  3. ^ a b Tamada 1995, p. 332.
  4. ^ Tamada 1995, p. 333.
  5. ^ Tamada 1995, p. 334.
  6. ^ a b c d Magistad 1991a.
  7. ^ a b RG 1991.
  8. ^ Tamada 1995, pp. 334–335.
  9. ^ a b Magistad 1991b.
  10. ^ Tamada 1995, p. 336.
  11. ^ Paul Chambers, Good governance, political stability, and constitutionalism in Thailand 2002: The state of democratic consolidation five years after the implementation of the 1997 constitution[permanent dead link], King Prajadhipok's Institute, 10 August 2002
  12. ISBN 0-300-10682-3
  13. ^ Bangkok Post, "King calls for compromise on charter", 5 December 1991
  14. ^ a b Amnesty International, Thailand: The "disappearance" of labour leader Tanong Pho-arn, 19 June 1991 Archived 1 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine, AI Index: ASA 39/007/2001, released 18 June 2001
  15. ISBN 0-415-31862-9
    .
  16. ISBN 1-879707-10-1
    . Retrieved 2018-10-07.

Sources
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