Sarit Dhanarajata
Field Marshal Sarit Dhanarajata (
Thai: สฤษà¸"ิ์ ธนะรัชต์, pronounced, and also sometimes spelled, as "Sarit Thanarat") (
June 16,
1908 -
December 8,
1963) staged a
coup in
1957 and served as
Thailand's
dictator until his death in
1963.
In October
1958 he declared
martial law, silencing the experiments in open politics since
1955. Sarit justified his authoritarianism in two ways: he argued for a return to Thai traditions of social order, and he accelerated economic development and social modernisation. His motto was "Nation, Religion, King" (represented by red, white, and blue colours, respectively, in
Thailand's flag).
Under Sarit, the monarchy, which had been repressed by
Phibunsongkhram, 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 crawling in front of royalty during audiences, banned by King
Chulalongkorn (Rama V), was revived. Sarit introduced to government a new generation of economically liberal technocrats, encouraged private and foreign investment, launched major rural development programs and rapidly expanded educational facilities.
When Sarit died in December
1963 power transferred peacefully to his close associates Generals
Thanom Kittikachorn (who became Prime Minister) and
Praphas Charusathian (Deputy Prime Minister). Thanom and Praphas basically maintained Sarit's style of government and economic policies, which produced
GNP growth rates of over 8 % per year during the
1960s.
Staunchly
anti-Communist, Sarit was an ethnic
Lao from
Thailand's northeast region. He was a patron of the Lao strongman General
Phoumi Nosavan.
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List of Prime Ministers of Thailand
