Plaek Phibunsongkhram
Plaek Phibunsongkhram | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
แปลก พิบูลสงคราม | |||||||
3rd Prime Minister of Thailand | |||||||
In office 8 April 1948 – 16 September 1957 | |||||||
Monarch | Bhumibol Adulyadej | ||||||
Deputy | |||||||
Preceded by | Khuang Aphaiwong | ||||||
Succeeded by | Sarit Thanarat (de facto) | ||||||
In office 16 December 1938 – 1 August 1944 | |||||||
Monarch | Ananda Mahidol | ||||||
Deputy | |||||||
Preceded by | Phraya Phahon | ||||||
Succeeded by | Khuang Aphaiwong | ||||||
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Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army | |||||||
In office 9 November 1947 – 15 May 1948 | |||||||
Preceded by | Adun Adundetcharat | ||||||
Succeeded by | Phin Choonhavan | ||||||
In office 4 January 1938 – 5 August 1944 | |||||||
Preceded by | Phraya Phahon | ||||||
Succeeded by | Phichit Kriangsakphichit | ||||||
Personal details | |||||||
Born | Plaek Khittasangkha 14 July 1897 Supreme Commander | ||||||
Battles/wars |
| ||||||
Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram (
Phibunsongkhram was a member of the
Phibun was ousted as prime minister by the
At fifteen years and one month, Phibun's term as Prime Minister of Thailand was the longest to date.
Early years
Phibun was born Plaek Khittasangkha (
1932 revolution
In 1932, Phibun was one of the leaders of the
The following year, Phibun and his military allies successfully crushed the
Prime Minister of Thailand
First premiership
On 16 December 1938, Phibun replaced
After the revolution of 1932, the Thai government of Phraya Phahol was impressed by the success of the
Thai Cultural Revolution
Phibun immediately promoted
Phibun's administration encouraged
On 24 June 1939, Phibun changed the country's official English name from
In 1941, in the midst of World War II, Phibun decreed 1 January as the official start of the new year instead of the traditional Songkran date on 13 April.
Franco-Thai War
Phibun exploited the
Alliance with Japan
Phibun and the Thai public viewed the outcome of the Franco-Thai War as a victory, but it resulted in the rapidly expanding Japanese gaining the right to occupy French Indochina. Although Phibun was ardently pro-Japanese, he now shared a border with them and felt threatened by a potential Japanese invasion. Phibun's administration also realised that Thailand would have to fend for itself if a Japanese invasion came, considering its deteriorating relationships with Western powers in the area.[citation needed]
When the Japanese invaded Thailand on 8 December 1941, (because of the
Removal
In 1944, as the Japanese neared defeat and the underground anti-Japanese
Khuang Aphaiwong replaced Phibun as prime minister, ostensibly to continue relations with the Japanese, but, in reality, to secretly assist the Free Thai Movement. At the war's end, Phibun was put on trial at Allied insistence on charges of having committed war crimes, mainly that of collaborating with the Axis powers. However, he was acquitted amid intense pressure as public opinion was still favourable to him, as he was thought to have done his best to protect Thai interests. Phibun's alliance with Japan had Thailand take advantage of Japanese support to expand Thai territory into Malaya and Burma.[13]
Second premiership
In November 1947, Royal Thai Army units under the control of Phibun known as the
Phibun's second premiership was notably different, abandoning the fascist styling and rhetoric that characterised his first premiership, and instead promoted a façade of democracy. The beginning of the
Phibun was reportedly thrilled by the democracy and
Power play
Phibun's second premiership was longer but plagued with
On 1 October 1948, the unsuccessful
On 26 February 1949, the Palace Rebellion was another failed coup attempt against Phibun to restore Pridi Phanomyong by occupying the Grand Palace in Bangkok and declaring a new government led by Direk Jayanama, a close associate of Pridi. The civilian rebels were quickly ousted from the palace, but fighting broke out between military rebels and loyalists which lasted for over a week.
On 29 June 1951, Phibun was attending a ceremony aboard the Manhattan, a US dredge boat, when he was taken hostage by a group of Royal Thai Navy officers, who then quickly confined him aboard the warship Sri Ayutthaya. Negotiations between the government and the coup organizers swiftly broke down, leading to violent street fighting in Bangkok between the navy and the army, which was supported by the Royal Thai Air Force. Phibun was able to escape and swim back to shore when the Sri Ayutthaya was bombed by the air force, and with their hostage gone, the navy were forced to lay down their arms.
"...tell your father [Pridi] that I want [him] to come back [and] help me work for the nation. I alone can no longer contest Sakdina."[14]
Plaek to one of Pridi's sons in June 1957.
On 29 November 1951, the
In 1956, it became clearer that Plaek, allied to Phao, was losing to another influential group led by Sarit which consisted of "Sakdina" (royalties and royalists). Both Plaek and Phao intended to bring home Pridi Banomyong to clear his name from the mystery around the death of King Rama VIII. However, the US government disapproved, and they cancelled the plan.[14]
1957 coup and exile
In February 1957, public opinion turned against Phibun at the end of his second term when his party was suspected of fraudulent practices during an election, including the intimidation of the opposition, buying votes, and
Phibun was then forced into exile after the coup, first fleeing to
Death
Phibun died on 11 June 1964 from heart failure while in exile in
Honours
Noble titles
- 7 May 1928: LuangPhibunsongkhram (หลวงพิบูลสงคราม)
- 15 May 1942: Abolition of nobility
Military rank
- 1916 – Second lieutenant
- 1920 – Lieutenant
- 1927 – Captain
- 1930 – Major
- 1933 – Lieutenant colonel
- 1934 – Colonel
- 1939 – Major General, Rear Admiral, Air Vice Marshal
- 1941 – Marshal of the Royal Thai Air Force[16]
- 1955 – Volunteer Defense Corps General[17]
Thai decorations
Plaek Phibunsongkhram received the following royal decorations in the
- 1941 – Knight of The Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems
- 1942 – The Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit
- 1942 – Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao
- 1940 – Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
- 1937 – Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
- 1944 – Bravery Medal
- 1941 – Victory Medal - Franco-Thai War with flames
- 1943 – Victory Medal - Pacific War
- 1934 – Safeguarding the Constitution Medal
- 1934 – Dushdi Mala Medal Pin Service to the Nation (Military)
- 1943 – Dushdi Mala Medal Pin of Arts and Science (Military)
- 1943 – Medal for Service Rendered in the Interior - Pacific War
- 1954 – Border Service Medal
- 1930 – Chakra Mala Medal
- 1938 – King Rama VIII Royal Cypher Medal, 1st
- 1953 – King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal, 1st
- 1911 – King Rama VI Coronation Medal
- 1925 – King Rama VII Coronation Medal
- 1932 – Commemorative Medal on the Occasion of the 150th Years of Rattanakosin Celebration
Foreign honours
- Nazi Germany:
- 1937 – Order of the German Red Cross
- 1939 – 1st Class of the Order of the German Eagle[19]
- Kingdom of Italy:
- 1937 – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
- 1938 – Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy
- Francoist Spain:
- 1955 – Order of Military Merit[20]
- 1954 – Grand Cross White Decoration of the Cross of Naval Merit
- 1955 –
- Empire of Japan:
- 1942 – Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun
- Philippines:
- 1955 – Grand Cross of the Order of Sikatuna[20]
- UK:
- 1939 – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
- USA:
- 1955 – Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit
- France:
- 1938 – Grand-Croix of the Legion of Honour
- Belgium:
- 1955 – Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
- Netherlands:
- 1955 – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
- Denmark:
- 1955 – Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog
- Italian Republic:
- 1955 – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Kingdom of Laos:
- 1955 – Grand Cross of the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol
- Cambodia:
- 1955 – Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia
- Kingdom of Greece:
- 1956 – Grand Cross of the Order of George I
- Germany:
- 1955 – Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Union of Burma:
Academic rank
See also
- History of Thailand (1932–1973)
- Saharat Thai Doem
- Nitya Pibulsonggram
- Ramwong
- Thai cultural mandates
- Suharto
- Francisco Franco
- Antonio Salazar
- Joseph McCarthy
References
- ^ (in Thai)ผู้นำทางการเมืองไทยกับสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2: จอมพล ป.พิบูลสงคราม และ ปรีดี พนมยงค์ Archived 27 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 9971622467. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ Ansil Ramsay (2001). Grant H. Cornwell; Eve Walsh Stoddard (eds.). The Chinese in Thailand: Ethnicity, Power and Cultural Opportunity Structures. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 63.
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ignored (help) - ^ "man on horseback". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
n. A man, usually a military leader, whose popular influence and power may afford him the position of dictator, as in a time of political crisis
- S2CID 162373204.
- ^ Churchill, Winston S. The Second World War, Vol 3, The Grand Alliance, p.548 Cassell & Co. Ltd, 1950
- ^ "Pattaya Mail – Pattaya's First English Language Newspaper". pattayamail.com.
- ^ Ford, Daniel (June 2008). "Colonel Tsuji of Malaya (part 2)". Warbirds Forum. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
Though outnumbered two-to-one, the Japanese never stopped to consolidate their gains, to rest or regroup or resupply; they came down the main roads on bicycles.
- ^ "The Swift Japanese Assault". National Archives of Singapore. 2002. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
Even the long-legged Englishmen could not escape our troops on bicycles.
- ^ "Columns". pattayamail.com.
- ^ I.C.B Dear, ed, The Oxford companion to World War II (1995) p 1107
- ^ Roeder, Eric (Fall 1999). "The Origin and Significance of the Emerald Buddha". Southeast Asian Studies. 3. Southeast Asian Studies Student Association. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
Judith A. Stowe, Siam becomes Thailand (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1991), pp. 228-283
- ISBN 0-19-588612-7
- ^ a b "สมศักดิ์ เจียมธีรสกุล: พูนศุข พนมยงค์ ให้สัมภาษณ์กรณีสวรรคต พฤษภาคม 2500". prachatai.com.
- JSTOR 446100– via JSTOR.
- ^ "Data" (PDF). ratchakitcha.soc.go.th. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Data" (PDF). ratchakitcha.soc.go.th. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ Biography of Field Marshal P. Archived 26 August 2002 at the Wayback Machine, Royal Thai Army website. Retrieved on 4 December 2008.
- ^ Royal Thai Government Gazette. แจ้งความสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง ให้ประดับเครื่องราชอิสสริยาภรณ์ต่างประเทศ Vol. 56 Page 3594 on 11 March 1939
- ^ a b ราชกิจจานุเบกษา, แจ้งความสำนักคณะรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานพระบรมราชานุญาตประดับเครื่องอิสริยาภรณ์ต่างประเทศ, เล่ม ๗๒ ตอนที่ ๖๓ ง หน้า ๒๐๘๕, ๙ สิงหาคม ๒๔๙๘
- ^ "Data" (PDF). ratchakitcha.soc.go.th. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
Bibliography
- ISBN 9781139194877. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- Chaloemtiarana, Thak (2007). Thailand. The Politics of Despotic Paternalism. ISBN 978-0-87727-742-2.
- Fineman, Daniel (1997). A Special Relationship. The United States and Military Government in Thailand, 1947–1958. ISBN 0-8248-1818-0.
- Mokarapong, Thawatt (1972). History of Thai Revolution. A study in political behaviour. ISBN 974-07-5396-5.
- Numnonda, Thamsook (1977). Thailand and the Japanese Presence 1941–1945. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
- Reynolds, E. Bruce (2004). Phibun Songkhram And Thai Nationalism in the Fascist Era. European Journal of East Asian Studies. Vol. 3. pp. 99–134. .
- Stowe, Judith A. (1991). Siam Becomes Thailand. A Story of Intrigue. London: C. Hurst & Co. ISBN 0-8248-1393-6.
- Suwannathat-Pian, Kobkua (1995). Thailand's Durable Premier. Phibun through three decades, 1932–1957. ISBN 967-65-3053-0.
- ISBN 0-7022-1509-0.
- Staniczek, Lukasz (1999). Pibun Songkram 's Role in Thailand's Entry into the Pacific War (Thesis). Arkadelphia: Ouachita Baptist University. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ISBN 0-300-08475-7.
External links
- Duncan Stearn:A Slice of Thai History: The Japanese invasion of Thailand, 8 December 1941 Pattaya Mail – Pattaya's First English Language Newspaper (part one) Columns (part two) Columns (part three)
- Kopkuea Suwannathat-Phian (1989). Foreign Policies of Phibunsongkhram Government: 1938–1944 (PDF) (in Thai). Bangkok: Thammasat University Press. ISBN 9745724165. Archived from the original(PDF) on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2013.