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Thailand Sarit's Return
In October 1958, Sarit, recently returned from the United
States where he had undergone extensive medical treatment, took
over personal control of the government with the consent of
Thanom, who resigned as prime minister. Sarit, who spoke of
instilling "national discipline" in the country, justified his
action on the grounds that Thailand's various constitutional
experiments had not succeeded in providing the stability needed
for economic development. He outlawed political parties and
jailed critics of the regime--teachers, students, labor leaders,
journalists, and liberal parliamentarians. A dozen or more
newspapers were closed.
In January 1960, Sarit decreed an interim constitution that
provided for an appointed assembly to draft a new constitution,
Thailand's eighth since 1932. Work on the document continued
throughout the 1960s. Sarit assumed the office of prime minister
provided for in the interim constitution, but his regime was
clearly that of a military dictatorship.
Whatever else might be said about its political shortcomings,
Sarit's government was more dynamic than the previous regimes of
the constitutional era. Sarit gave ministers in his cabinet
considerable independence in the affairs of their own ministries.
At the same time he made all major decisions and kept members of
the government responsible solely to his office.
Despite recurring scandals involving official corruption, in
the early 1960s Sarit seemed to have succeeded in achieving
political stability and economic growth. In 1961 the government
instituted the first in a series of economic development schemes
that were intended to foster employment and expand production.
Although military officers were frequently appointed as directors
of state and quasi-governmental economic enterprises, civilian
personnel gradually assumed a greater share in implementing
government policies. Sarit welcomed foreign investment and
assured investors of government protection. Major electrification
and irrigation projects began, with aid from the United States
and international agencies. In addition, Sarit initiated a
cleanup campaign to improve sanitation in the cities.
Sarit revived the motto "Nation-Religion-King" as a fighting
political slogan for his regime, which he characterized as
combining the paternalism of the ancient Thai state and the
benevolent ideals of Buddhism. He spoke of his intention to
"restore" the king, a retiring man, to active participation in
national life, and he urged Bhumibol Adulyadej and his consort,
Queen Sirikit, to have more contact with the Thai public, which
had a strong affection for the monarchy. Royal tours were also
scheduled for the king and queen to represent Thailand abroad.
Sarit likewise played on the religious attachments of the people.
In 1962 he centralized administration of monastic institutions
under a superior patriarchate friendly to the regime, and he
mobilized monks, especially in the North and Northeast, to
support government programs. Critics protested that Sarit had
demeaned religion by using it for political ends and had
compromised the monarchy by using it to legitimize a military
dictatorship. They asserted that the regime's policies, rather
than restoring these institutions, had contributed to the growth
of materialism and secularism and to the erosion of religious
belief in the country.
Under Sarit's guidance, Thailand's anticommunist policy
continued, and steps were taken to deal militarily with the
growing threat of insurgency posed by communist-inspired
activities in neighboring countries. Sarit sought closer ties
with Thailand's anticommunist neighbors and with the United
States, and in 1961 Thailand and another SEATO member, the
Philippines, joined with newly independent Malaya (since 1963,
Malaysia) to form the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA). The
Pathet Lao (as the leftist Lao People's Liberation Army was known
until 1965) moved into northwestern Laos in March 1962. United
States secretary of state Dean Rusk and Thai foreign minister
Thanat Khoman agreed that their countries would interpret the
Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty of 1954 as a bilateral
as well as multilateral pact binding the United States to come to
the aid of Thailand in time of need, with or without the
agreement of the other signers of the pact. Two months after the
foreign ministers' agreement, President John F. Kennedy stationed
United States troops in Thailand in response to the deteriorating
situation in Laos. The arrival of the troops in May 1962 was seen
by the Thai government as evidence of the United States
commitment to preserving Thailand's independence and integrity
against communist expansion. Despite United States pressure,
however, Sarit refused to entertain ideas of democratic reform.
Data as of September 1987
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