Democracy Monument,the story?

[Guest]

db: A common error. I, too, used to think that it referred to WWI, because Thailand sent troops for the Allied side, and also because of the way that the uniforms look on the servicemen represented (seemed to me to be from that era). But apparently not.

 

 

 

DID most sent die from "the grip"? They were generally just support troops, mechanics and whatnot behind the lines. I thought they all pretty much returned? Would that be the worldwide flu epidemic? That didn't much kick in until 1919, didn't it?

[Guest]

No mood to go look it up, but I remembering that they had a fair number of casualties from illness and none from combat. Don't know if it was strictly the same illness as caused the influenza pandemic after the war or not. Coulda been dysentary...

 

 

[Guest]

"Reading from this, I would guess that the deaths of the 51 or 59 Thais, the reason for Democracy Monument."

 

 

 

Trotsky: No, that's Victory Monument that commemorates the 1939 action. Democracy Monument, which this thread is supposedly about, is dedicated to the 1932 Revolution.

[trotsky2]

Siam Sam my apologies that I accidentally typed Democracy instead of Victory. I was trying to discuss the Victory Monument because the discussion about the Democracy Monument was resolved after about two posts. It seemed that after that resolution things moved on.

[Guest]

Yes, my apologies, too, but someone asked about Victory Monument, and things just sort of...diversified from there.

[Flashermac]

What the hell is wrong with the folks who do these "guides"? Is there a rule that say "Thou shalt not do any research"? Rama V? Wrong on both counts, dead wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Democracy Monument commemorates the granting of the first constitution to the people by King Rama VII -- after the 1932 coup. Victory Momument honours the 6 month border war with the French imperialists shortly before WWII. Both monuments were designed by Silpa Pirasri (aka Corrado Ferroci, a nationalised Thai citizen from Florence, Italy).

 

 

 

re: the Indo-China War, the French govmt in Paris in the late 1930s was willing to revise the border with the Thais, as the English had done a bit earlier. After all, the border was a bit "strange" in places and the Thais had been their allies in WWI. But after Hitler overran France, the colonial govmt in Indo-China handled the discussions. The colonialists cancelled all previous French promises, willing to discuss nothing with the Thais. When the Thai govmt objected, the French colonial governor bombed along the Thai border -- starting the war. There was aerial combat on numerous occasions, and a Thai land invasion of Cambodia, the Thai forces doing well in both. But the Thai Navy was caught napping off Koh Chang by the more powerful French fleet and suffered the embarrassing loss of several ships. The Japanese then offered to negotiate an end to the conflict, which gave them a foot into the region. Not long afterwards, the Japanese occupied French Indo-China, placing their army right on the Thai border!

 

 

 

Although Victory Monument supposedly honours 59 Thais killed in the fighting, many suspect the number of dead was several times that, counting in the Navy losses. But the military leader, Pibul Songkram, wasn't about to admit that to the people. Nowadays, Victory Monument is considered as a memorial to the Thai veterans of the Indo-China War, WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, plus those who fell fighting the communists here at home.

 

 

[Flashermac]

The Monument to the WWI volunteers is near the NW end of Sanam Luang, opposite the National Theatre and the National Museum. It looks sort of like a chedi and is on a triangle of land between the streets. It contains the ashes of the Thai soldiers who died in France in 1918. (None were combat casualties, though the Thai medical unit did come under German artillery fire a time or two.) The names of the war dead are inscribed on the monument.

 

 

 

Each November 11, there used to be a nice memorial service at the monument, including the surviving old soldiers themselves and the military representatives of the Allied nations. It was quite impressive in the 1980s, with the old vets carrying their WWI banners from the National Museum and planes flying overhead dropping poppies. Afterwards, the vets would march (more shuffle actually) back to the Museum to return their colours. But nowadays there is only one WWI vet left in Thailand, and he lives all the way up in Phitsanulok. I haven't seen any memorial services at the monument for years now.

 

 

[Guest]

That location for the WWI memorial explains why I used to see a WWI Veterans' association on Khao San Road back in the '80's. I think it's gone now.