Sarit Dhanarajata

Infobox Prime Minister
name = Sarit Dhanarajata
จอมพลสฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์
nationality = Thai

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%A0%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%9E:Sarit.jpg]
monarch = Bhumibol Adulyadej
order = 11th Prime Minister of Thailand
term_start = February 9 1959
term_end = December 8 1963
predecessor = Thanom Kittikachorn
successor = Thanom Kittikachorn
birth_date = birth date|1908|6|16|mf=y
birth_place = Bangkok, Thailand
death_date = death date and age|1963|12|8|1908|6|16|mf=y
death_place = Bangkok, Thailand
spouse = Vichitra Dhanarajata

Field Marshal Sarit Dhanarajata (Thai: สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์, RTGS|Sarit Thanarat), (June 16, 1908 - December 8, 1963) staged a coup in 1957 and served as Thailand's Prime Minister until his death in 1963. Sarit was the son of a Thai linguist [cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Thailand|author=Smith Nieminen Win|pages=225|origyear=2005 (2nd edition)|publisherPraeger Publishers|isbn=0-8108-5396-5] and his Laotian wife, [cite book|title=Trans-Pacific Relations: America, Europe, and Asia in the Twentieth Century|url=http://www.amazon.com/Trans-Pacific-Relations-America-Twentieth-Perspectives/dp/0275977145/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/104-7867281-3169568|author=Richard Jensen, Jon Davidann, Sugita|pages=222|origyear=2003|publisherPraeger Publishers|isbn=0275977145] and came from Thailand's northeast region. He was a patron of the Lao strongman General Phoumi Nosavan.

Before his coup

Sarit spent the summer of 1958 in the United States for recuperation of liver cirrhosis. During his recuperation Sarit thought broadly about how he should govern Thailand. He looked for ways to defeat the country's greedy, undisciplined, and ungrateful politicians and journalists in the same sort of military order that he found in the army. In the end, he wanted to run the country according to "Thai" ideologies, not imported Western ideologies. He would take as his model, not the democracies of Europe and America, but the supposedly benevolent despots of Thailand's ancient past. [cite book|title=Thailand: The Politics of Despotic Paternalism|author=Thak Chaloemtiarana|publisher=Thammasat University Press (1979)]

arit's tenure

On October 19, 1958, Sarit told his generals his plans for a "revolution". The following day, to no one's surprise, he declared martial law, silencing the experiments in open politics since 1955. Sarit justified his authoritarianism in two ways: firstly he argued for a return to Thai traditions of social law and order, and secondly he accelerated economic development under an economic plan designed by the United States and the World Bank that promoted market competition and private investment. His favorite motto was: "Nation, Religion, King", represented by red, white and blue colors respectively in the Thailand's flag.

Sarit's new regime was the most repressive and authoritarian in Thai history. His "revolution" abrogated the constitution, dissolved parliament, and vested all power in his newly-formed Revolutionary Party. Although he pledged to appoint a constituent assembly to act as a legislature and draft a constitution, no one doubted that the body would merely rubber-stamp his orders. In fact, the assembly never functioned as a parliament, and a constitution was promulgated only after a decade. Sarit banned all other political parties from the very beginning. He imposed strict censorship [cite book|title=The Press of Thailand: Conditions and Trends|author=Albert G. Pickerell|publisher=Journalism Quarterly (Winter 1960)] of the press after the coup, moreover, that was stricter than that of the Phao tenure when he commanded the police. Immediately, the Revolutionary Party banned eighteen leftist, neutralist, and opposition newspapers, and prohibited new newspapers from reporting.

In addition to press censorship, Sarit's "revolution" brought the most intense crackdown on the leftists Thailand had ever witnessed. Although real communists, who worked illegally were hard to come by, the mildly socialist but strongly neutralist leftists in parliament, universities, and the press proved easy targets. The police arrested dozens of dissidents and Chinese on the first day of Sarit's coup, and hundreds in subsequent weeks. Those captured in the crackdown included Sang Phathanothai, Kulab Saipradit, Jit Phumisak and Prasert Sapsunthorn.

The Monarchy

Under Sarit, the monarchy, which had been repressed by Phibun, was revitalized. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) attended public ceremonies, toured the provinces and patronised development projects, becoming a personally revered figure. Under Sarit, the practice of crouching in front of royalty during audiences, banned by King Chulalongkorn, was revived. Sarit introduced to government a new generation of economically liberal technocrats, encouraged private and foreign direct investment, launched major rural development programmes and rapidly expanded educational facilities.

After Sarit's tenure

When Sarit died in December 1963 from liver failure, power transferred peacefully to his deputy Generals Thanom Kittikachorn, who became Prime Minister, and Praphas Charusathian, who became the Deputy Prime Minister. Thanom and Praphas maintained Sarit's authoritarian style of government, corruption, anti-communist and pro-American policies. HM the King Bhumibol set aside 21 days of mourning in the palace, and, after lying in state under royal sponsorship for 100 daysHM the King Bhumibol and HM the Queen Sirikit presided at his cremation on March 17, 1964. He had one of the closest relations of any Thai Prime Minister with HM the King Bhumibol.

Post tenure reputation

After his death, an inheritance battle between his son, Major Setha Dhanarajata, and his young wife, Thanpuying Vichitra Dhanarajata, revealed to the public the massive extent of Sarit's wealth (US$ 140 million). Sarit owned a company, a brewery, 51 cars, and some 30 parcels of land, most of which Sarit gave to a score of mistresses. Newspapers published the names of 100 women who claimed to have shared his bed at some time or other. ["Time", [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938523,00.html "Sarit's Legacy"] , 27 March 1964]

See also

* List of Prime Ministers of Thailand

References