Today in history 14 October
14 October 2008 - 14 October 1973 will be remembered as the day of great sorrow in Thai history. That day was the climax of demonstrations by hundreds of thousands of protesters around the Democracy Monument against the dictatorship of Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachon.

The day ended in tragedy when the army opened fire on demonstrators, resulting in hundreds of casualties. Today, the 14 October 1973 Memorial is the only visible reminder of the conflict that cost so many lives on that fateful day.

For the dramatic events leading to this day, please see the permalink.

Letter from Bangkok - today in Bangkok
7 October 2008 - We depart from our usual entries on history, culture and festivities in Bangkok today, to inform you on what has happened early this morning and most of today.

Protesters, who have occupied Government House for the past month, upped the ante and blocked access to Parliament where a session was to be held. Police used tear gas to clear the block.

Those MPs who managed to get in, couldnt get out later as the protesters besieged the house. Electricity and water was also cut off. The Prime Minister had to climb over a fence to escape by helicopter which landed in a neighboring palace.

Police moved in to free those trapped in Parliament which gave rise to further clashes which raged on till 1700 hours.

As at 2150 hours Bangkok time, the casualty list stands at 358 injured and two dead. One of the dead, a woman was hit when a jeep blew up. Three policemen were shot; two of them are in serious condition.

In a telephone report by a journalist on the spot during a television news update at 2230 hours, I could hear explosions in the background. The reporter said that these were the sounds of tear gas being fired.

Sad, but the month of October has really returned to haunt Thailand again.

Today in history 6 October
6 October 2008 - Thirty-two years ago today, right wing groups entered Thammasat University and brutally killed the left wing students who were protesting the return to Thailand of Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn, who was deposed off three years earlier.

The pogrom put an abrupt end to the wave of change brought about by the uprising in 1976. Driven into frenzy, the mob committed unspeakable atrocies. It isnt a sin to kill Communists!

The civilian government that took over after this massacre was even more draconian than their military predecessors. The students were literally hounded to the hills to join the Communists, as this was the only option with a chance of survival.

What drove people to this madness? Why was it allowed to happen? We may never know the reasons.

The tragedy was then pushed aside from the collective memory with no official recognition of its occurrence. There is no official public monument for those who perished on that unfortunate day, except for the one in Thammasat, unlike other crack downs.

Why society chose to forget this, is something we will never know. Perhaps those who do choose to remain silent.

For the build up of events leading to that tragic day, please see the permalink.