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Furtherowner. reproduction Further reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. Order Number 1341582 The evolution of the Thai monarchy in the constitutional period, 1932-present Pitipat, Supamit, M.A. The American University, 1990 UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, M I 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ReproducedReproduced with with permission permission of the ofcopyright the copyright owner. Furtherowner. reproduction Further reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. THE EVOLUTION OF THE THAI MONARCHY IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL PERIOD, 1932-PRESENT by Supamit Pitipat submitted to the Faculty of the School of International Service of The American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in International Affairs Signatures of Committee: Chair yfy. y- <?' /l/uu? CO (3tn»<^-— Dean of the School of International Service l m o Date ^ 1990 The American University 7 ^ 1 Washington, D.C. 20016 TES AMERICA1! VllIVEHSITY L1BRASY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission THE EVOLUTION OF THE THAI MONARCHY IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL PERIOD, 1932-PRESENT by Supamit Pitipat ABSTRACT The 1932 coup put an end to the age-old Thai absolute monarchy. Since then, the Thai political environment has become one where the instruments of control and change have been shifted from the royal elite to the hands of the bureaucrats, and where until the 1970s the monarchy could not exert political power. In theory as well as in practice, the power of the post-1932 monarchs has been carefully circumscribed by constitutional provisions. The resurgence of the monarchy, on the other hand, can be explained with reference to the unique status of the monarchical institution as the supreme source of legitimacy within the Thai society, the incessant conflict among the new elite groups, and the personality and conducts of King Bhumibol. A direct consequence of the monarchical resurgence is that the monarchy has become gradually involved in politics. While the King's political involvement in some cases has been the result of his concerns to bring about stability or defuse crisis, it also has caused apprehension that the active ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. involvement of the monarchy in politics in the long run will tarnish its legitimacy and role as a unifying national symbol. And despite the great success of King Bhumibol, the monarchy could be alienated from its body politic if the King does not simultaneously take into account the political implications and consequences of his political action. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Through the long process of this work I have received generous assistance from many people. My greatest debt is owed to M.R. Sukhumband Paribatra whose work inspired me to work on this topic. The discussions I had with him as well as his lecture in my undergraduate courses contributed much to the framework of this thesis. I would like to give my deepest appreciation to my thesis committee: Professor Astri Suhrki and Professor L.D. Howell. Their helpful and incisive suggestions were invaluable. Many teachers and friends at Chulalongkorn University gave me useful materials in doing this thesis, particularly Tcngthong Chandransu, Panit Cheepsamut, Eakapol Phoolpipat, and Chanisa Ratanapot. Needless to say, no one above is responsible for any mistake that might occur in this thesis. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................... iv Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .................................. 1 2. THE POLITICAL DECLINE OF THE MONARCHY ......... 7 The Paradox of the Chakri Reformation The Post-Monarchical Decline 3. The Monarchical Resurgence ..................... 32 The Legitimacy of the Monarchy Postwar Politics King Bhumibol and the Monarchical Resurgence 4. The Monarchy and Politics ....................... 74 The Monarchy and the Constitution The Monarchical Standpoint In the Political Whirl 5. Concluding Remarks ............................. 118 WORKS CITED ........................................... 126 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Monarchy in this country has always been on the move. King Bhumibol Adulyadej ^National Geographic October 1982,490). June 24, 1932 was a momentous day of the Siamese Chakri Dynasty. At dawn, a group of mixed military-civilian bureaucrats called the People's Party staged a coup against the royal government of King Prajadhipok, culminating in the overthrow of the age-old absolute monarchy of Siam. Distributed in the same day of the coup to justify its action, the manifesto of the People's Party, which was drafted by Pridi Panomyong, a civilian leader of the coup, denounced the legitimacy of the absolute rule of the Chakri Dynasty and critically attacked King Prajadhipok and his administration. In the manifesto as well as in the memorandum given to the King, the coup promoters demanded that King Prajadhipok become a constitutional monarch. The King, who himself had considered granting a constitution but till then had been prevented from doing so by both foreign and royal advisors, accepted the demand of the coup for the sake of peace and order in the country. Since then, the 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 Thai political environment has become one where the instruments of control and change have been shifted from the royal elite to the hands of the bureaucrats, where political competition, struggle and conflict until recently have been centered on the bureaucrats, especially the military, and where until the 1970s the monarchy could not exert political power. The King was merely the titular head of state. In theory as well as in practice, the power of the post-1932 monarchs has been carefully circumscribed by constitutional provisions. The traditional concept of the Thai kingship rooted in the Thai religion has been superseded by a new western concept of sovereignty which is held to originate from, and belong to, the people, whose rights are to be protected by a constitution (see Yood 1972). While the leaders of the 1932 coup justified their actions in terms of bringing democracy to Siam, it could not reject the fact that the root cause was their desire to limit the power of the throne and to gain a bigger share in political power. The problem of who should have what power, and how much, led to the deadlocked conflict between King Prajadhipok and the new elite, resulting in the King's abdication in March 1935. Since then, for almost twenty years, Siam did not have an adult reigning monarch to develop the crown's functions in the new political system. And it took almost thirty years after 1932 before the Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. conflicting power and interest between the monarchy and the bureaucracy could be solved. The formal coronation of King Bhumibol in May 1950 marked the first time since his uncle's abdication that the throne had been fully occupied by an adult who could utilize the legitimate power which the monarchy had long possessed. And King Bhumibol did this with great success. Gradually, after every crisis and friction within the bureaucracy, the monarchy became