Chit Phumisak
Encyclopedia
Chit Phumisak was a Thai
author, historian, poet and Communist rebel. His most influential book was The Face of Thai Feudalism (โฉมหน้าศักดินาไทย, Chomna Sakdina Thai), written in 1957 under the pseudonym Somsamai Srisootarapan. Other pen names used by Chit include Kawi Kanmuang and Kawi Srisayam. He has been described as the "Che Guevara
of Thailand".
, eastern Thailand, he studied philology
at Chulalongkorn University
in Bangkok
. It was as a student that Chit first became exposed to Marxism; in 1953 he was hired by the U.S. embassy to help assist William J. Gedney
, an American linguist living in Thailand, to translate The Communist Manifesto into Thai (in an attempt to scare the Thai government into taking a tougher stance against communism).
His writings were anti-nationalist and progressive and were viewed as a threat to the state by the harshly anti-communist government of Sarit Thanarat
. He was arrested in 1957, branded a communist, and after six years in jail was declared not guilty by a court and set free.
In 1965, he joined the Communist Party of Thailand
, headquartered in the jungles of the Phu Phan mountains
, in Sakhon Nakhon Province. On May 5, 1966 he was shot dead by villagers near the village Nong Kung in Waritchaphum district. His body was burned and no proper ceremony for his death occurred until 1989, when his remains were finally placed in a stupa
at the nearby Wat
Prasittisangwon.
There is a small dispute over his death. Paul M. Handley, the author of the academically acclaimed "The King Never Smiles
" states that Jit was executed by government officials near Phu Phan mountains
shortly after he was released from jail.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
author, historian, poet and Communist rebel. His most influential book was The Face of Thai Feudalism (โฉมหน้าศักดินาไทย, Chomna Sakdina Thai), written in 1957 under the pseudonym Somsamai Srisootarapan. Other pen names used by Chit include Kawi Kanmuang and Kawi Srisayam. He has been described as the "Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
of Thailand".
Biography
Born into a poor family in Prachinburi ProvincePrachinburi Province
Prachin Buri is a province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Ratchasima, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Nayok.-Geography:...
, eastern Thailand, he studied philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...
in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. It was as a student that Chit first became exposed to Marxism; in 1953 he was hired by the U.S. embassy to help assist William J. Gedney
William J. Gedney
William J. Gedney was an American linguist and Southeast Asian language specialist. Gedney did extensive work Tai historical linguistics.-Life:...
, an American linguist living in Thailand, to translate The Communist Manifesto into Thai (in an attempt to scare the Thai government into taking a tougher stance against communism).
His writings were anti-nationalist and progressive and were viewed as a threat to the state by the harshly anti-communist government of Sarit Thanarat
Sarit Dhanarajata
Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat , was a Thai career soldier who staged a coup in 1957, thereafter serving as Thailand's Prime Minister until his death in 1963. He was born in Bangkok, but grew up in his mother's home town in Lao-speaking northeastern Thailand and considered himself a northeasterner...
. He was arrested in 1957, branded a communist, and after six years in jail was declared not guilty by a court and set free.
In 1965, he joined the Communist Party of Thailand
Communist Party of Thailand
The Communist Party of Thailand - CPT was a Marxist-Leninist, Communist political party in Thailand, active from 1942 until the 1990s. Initially known as Communist Party of Siam the party was founded officially on the 1st of December 1942, although communist activism in the country began as early...
, headquartered in the jungles of the Phu Phan mountains
Phu Phan Mountains
The Phu Phan mountains are a range of hills dividing the Khorat Plateau of the Isan region of Thailand into two basins: the northern Sakhon Nakhon Basin, and the southern Khorat Basin.-Etymology:...
, in Sakhon Nakhon Province. On May 5, 1966 he was shot dead by villagers near the village Nong Kung in Waritchaphum district. His body was burned and no proper ceremony for his death occurred until 1989, when his remains were finally placed in a stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
at the nearby Wat
Wat
A wat is a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos. The word "wat" means "school".- Introduction :...
Prasittisangwon.
There is a small dispute over his death. Paul M. Handley, the author of the academically acclaimed "The King Never Smiles
The King Never Smiles
The King Never Smiles is an unauthorized biography of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej by Paul M. Handley, a freelance journalist who lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in Thailand. It is published by Yale University Press and was released in 2006...
" states that Jit was executed by government officials near Phu Phan mountains
Phu Phan Mountains
The Phu Phan mountains are a range of hills dividing the Khorat Plateau of the Isan region of Thailand into two basins: the northern Sakhon Nakhon Basin, and the southern Khorat Basin.-Etymology:...
shortly after he was released from jail.