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Roles of the Military in Thai Politics University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1980 Roles of the military in Thai politics. Krongkan Kanchanabhogin The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Kanchanabhogin, Krongkan, "Roles of the military in Thai politics." (1980). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 6057. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/6057 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1 9 7 6 Th is is an unpublished manuscript in which copyright sub­ s i s t s . Any further r e p r in t in g of it s contents must be approved BY the author. Ma n s fie ld Library U n iv e r s it y of Montana Da t e : OFH 11 lAAO Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ROLES OF THE MILITARY IN THAI POLITICS By Krongkan Kanehanabhogin Bachelor of Commerce, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok, Thailand, 1977 B.S., University of Montana, 1978 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Administration UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1980 Approved by Chairman, Board of Examiners 9 - / ? - Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP36858 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT OMWtitkin nMaNng UMI EP36858 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProOuesf ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 I. THE thaï political SYSTEM ............................................................... 4 Role of the Monarchy in Thai P o litic s....................... 5 Thai Political System ............................................................. 8 I I . MILITARY INFLUENCE IN THAI POLITICS................................... 11 Roles of the Military in Thai Society ..... 12 Causes of Military Intervention in Politics . 14 Military's Role in P o litic s............................................. 19 I I I . THE MILITARY AND THAI PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION . 30 Military and Political Development ...... 30 Military and the Development of Thai Public Administration ............................................. 34 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................... 43 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 45 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION The Thai political system was changed from an abso­ lute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy in 1932. Since then, both civilian and military leaders took turns control­ ling the country. The failure of the early civilian leaders to solve the domestic problems encouraged the military to seize control of Thai politics. Since 1932 Thailand has been ruled by military govern­ ment for thirty-nine years. The stability of the military regime was developed not only from the long-term military rule but also from the support of the Thai people. One rea­ son the military governments receive full support from the Thai people is that the military preserve their belief in the importance of the monarchy. It is a Thai political tra­ d itio n th a t although the ad m in istrativ e power of the King declined a fte r 1932, the role and influence of the King as a father figure of the country has never changed. Another reason is because the military governments have successfully served the functions of social order, political stability and modernization of Thai politics, and the public administration system. The purpose of this paper is to review the military influence in Thai politics and its effects on public adminis­ tration. The paper examines the role of the military in Thai Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. social and political system, the causes of military interven­ tion in politics, and offers a broad conceptualization of different military regimes in Thailand. Methodology Most of the fa c ts on the h is to r ic a l background of the Thai socio-political system are taken from Thai govern­ ment publications. The organization of the multi-party system, the causes of military intervention, and the pattern of military participation in politics are drawn from the study of Sameul P. H untington's P o lit ic a l Order in Changing Societies. The data on the assessment of the performance of the c iv ilia n and m ilita ry governments comes from Thai govern­ ment publications, Thai and American news media, and academic sources published from 1960 to March, 1980. Organization of the Study This study is divided into three parts. Part one introduces the importance of the monarchy in Thai politics and the basic pattern of the Thai political system. Part two examines the military influence in Thai politics. It describes structure of the Thai military insti- tuiton which is one of the strongest and the most well deve­ loped organizations in Thai society. The reasons for the military intervention in politics and the typology of mili­ tary roles in Thai politics are also presented. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Part three presents the reformation of Thai public administration which has been initiated by different military regimes. The political, social, economic development pro­ grams and civil service reform promoted extensively by dif­ ferent military governments during 1946 and 1973 are presented in this part. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE THAI POLITICAL SYSTEM Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asis that has a long history of independence and has never been control­ led by any western country during the period of colonialism. The kingdom of Thailand was formed in 1238 with its present name derived from the capital city. Since 1238 there have been four major kingdoms which are the kingdom of Suko- thai (1238-1378), the kingdom of Ayutthaya (1350-1767), the kingdom of Thonburi (1767-1782), and the kingdom of Siam or Thailand, which was established in the capital of Bangkok in 1782.1 A long tradition of independence helped created a social system that has developed in its own way. The tradi­ tions and political institutions in Thailand were never abrupt­ ly overturned by colonial rulers who imposed new social insti­ tutions on their colonies. There was no particular external power which could serve as a government model for the Thais such as the American and British government models imitated by the Philippines and Malaysia. In addition, Thai society ^Thailand O ffic ia l Year Book, 1964 (Bangkok: O ffice of Prime Minister, 1964), p. 10. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. has never been afftected by a severe social revolution as 2 happened in China in the late nineteenth century. The Role of the Monarchy in Thai Politics The monarchy is the most continuous legitimate in­ stitution in Thai politics. The tradition of kingship has originated and accumulated in the past and adapted itself to the changing circumstances. The concept of kingship was constituted as a pattern of administration from 1238 until 1932. On June 24, 1932, a group of civilian-military officials organized a bloodless coup d'etat to overthrow the absolute monarchy and established a parliamentary democratic government. Since 1932 the legiti­ mate power of the King has been a lte re d . The K ing's adm inis­ trative power declined; but his prestige and influence as a symbol of national unity and the supreme patron reigning has remained. In a d d itio n , the King was s t i l l recognized as the head of the nation, head of the armed forces, upholder of 3 re lig io n and he was held to be sacred and in v io la b le . In the constitutional period, the King is recognized as the source of the sovereign power. The Thai constitution acknowledges th a t the King exercises the le g is la t iv e power 2 David Wilson, Politics in Thailand (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1962), p. 81. ^Thailand O ffic ia l Year Book, 1964, p. 34. Reproduced
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