location: nan, 'Thailand 
year: 2003 source: HSRI 
title: Mahidol historical almanac for democracy : Phase I 
abstract:The victory of China at the beginning of the decade 1947 has made the Asian Region and the group of Indo-China countries become one of the important strategic points of the world in the cold war age.  Thailand has been determined by the Western power nations to be the significant outpost to blockade and to conquer the Socialism which was expanding.  The United States of America gave supports to the military dictatorship Government which responds to the interests and the policy of the United States.  They governed the countries in this Region, including Thailand.	The Government of Field Marshal Sarid  Thanarat has seized power by the coup d’etat.  Responding to such policy, the Government dominated and suppressed the students’ and people’s movements.  The mass medias were also dominated so sternly and violently that all the movements could effectively be surrendered.  In the universities, the students’ organizations and activities were strictly controlled and inspected.  Only the activities based on sports, entertainment and the activities for praise of the national, religious and monarchic institutions could receive the permission.	Besides the impact from the Government’s political check policy, there were also  the internal factors caused by all faculties in the University of Medicine different campus.  The confusing system in recruiting the medical students  and the heavy curricula were also the complex conditions prevented the students from  attending the political activities and from creating the joint awareness of the same institute.  Only the activities based on sports, entertainment and music were arranged and caused the luxurious habits among the students.	Such conditions continued until the time of the Government of Field Marshal Thanom  Kittikachorn.  At that time there was an important international event.   The United States had completely launched the war in Vietnam in 1965.  Thousands upon thousands of soldiers were sent to Vietnam, and Thailand was also pulled to join the fight without avoidance.  This causes the problems on the aspects of national, social and cultural sovereignty  in consequence.  The large number of soldiers which were sent by the United States to such battle field causes the serious impact of the shortage of doctors in the United States.   The doctors from all the developing countries over the world were attracted by the United States in order to solve such    problem.  This measure remarkably sent the serious and consecutive impact on the shortage of medical doctors in Thailand.  Therefore, the measure that forces the graduates have to work in return was applied and the school of military doctor was to be started.	 Since the military governed the country in 1966 and many events caused discontentments in the society, a group of instructors and students arranged the first seminar at the Christian Student Center.  The Center was utilized as a place for  exchanging ideas until many activity groups were formed, such as the group that published the Social Science Review for students and that for the graduates, the Club for Discussion Review and the Student Group for Rural Area Reform.  This is the starting point of the student groups in different universities, including the University of Medicine, who work independently with the systematic concepts different from the Government.	The conflicts and the compromises within the military power groups allowed Field Marshal Thanom  Kittikachorn to relieve the political atmosphere, by proclaiming the constitution of the longest - day draft and providing the election in 1969.  Such factors engendered all of the students’ and the people’s movements, including the students of the University of Medicine.  They dare to use the right of expression, to assemble openly in public, as well as to establish the new students’ organizations to bargain with the official authorities.  The first protest was made by the medical students of the Faculty of Medical Technology, Siriraj Hospital.  The measure of working in return after graduation was the reason of the students to establish the Medical Student Center of Thailand (MSCT).  This Center has afterwards taken so much an important professional role that the praise was given to in the 3rd Workshop on Thai Medical Sciences Study.  The relation and co-operation have been promoted among the groups of instructors and doctors from different institutions in finding the recommendations of the resolution for national public health.	At the same time, the new Faculty of  Medical Sciences was established (the present Faculty of Sciences) and Mahidol University was founded to replace the University of Medicine.  The enrollment of its students was absolutely split from Chulalongkorn University.  The 1st and 2nd year students of all faculties came to learn together here, including the 3rd and 4th year Pre-Clinic students of the Faculty of  Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital.  This concept could much contribute to promote the institutionism.  The Mahidol University Students' Club and other new clubs were established other than the Sports Club.  They became the new activity centers keeping abreast with the former activities of the Faculty of  Medicine, Siriraj Hospital.  Such characteristic could also form the various groups of activists spreading into different faculties, and four years later, they became the important force in the party-list election of which the Chairman of the Mahidol University Students' Club, came from  the Faculty of  Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital.  from then.	The independent groups rooted from each individual who went out to seek  for  outside activities could now start to broaden the concepts to the younger generation of the same school and the same professional line.  The library group was established in the Faculty of Sciences, and two periodicals were issued - Medical Student Relations from the Medical Students Center of Thailand (MSCT) and Medical Journal Relations or Mahidol Bulletin from Mahidol University.  These platforms were used to pass on their systematic social and political concepts to the fellow students.  At the same time the formal activities and different clubs, supported by most  instructors according to the Government's policy which would like to see fruitfully spending their free time,  the students with different ideas were encouraged to join the activities therein,i.e. Speech and Debate Club, Buddhism study and Tradition  Club, Girl Guide Club, Ecology Club, Rotaract Club  and so on.At that period of time, the universal  tide of movement, which appealed to the civil liberty against the Vietnam War, also had an influence over the Thai students.  Such tide has also happened in Mahidol University.  The seniority system was opposed in 1970.   The demonstration was staged for the equal working in return of the male and female medical students.  There has been the opposition against the privilege system for the enrollment of the instructors’ and the benefactors’ child.  The movement has been in efforts against the acceptance of the pre-military students to study medicine, but  such effort was not much success.  Another protest occurred in 1973 and the result was effective in 1974.  All of the events entirely happened in the Faculty of Sciences, while “Mahidol Bulletin” was used as the important platform.  	As Field Marshal Thanom  Kittikachorn demanded for own interest in exchange with the support of the members of the National Assembly of the government party, he then made another revolution in order to prolong his dictatorship.  However, democratic movement grew unceasingly.  The Student Center of Thailand (SCT), of which Mr. Thirayuth  Boonmee was the Secretary-General, started its political role through these following means, i.e. by grasping economic issue, expressing its vision on solving the problem of trade balance with Japan, and managing the campaign against the exploitation made by foreign nations, in the forms of activities which well accepted by the students and the people.  These performances could give credit to the students’ movement which would be the leading movement of the society.  Some members of  Mahidol University Student Club who were intimate with the Student Center of Thailand (SCT) led a large number of the Mahidol University students to join in the movement.In efforts to control and centralize the State power, the Government, therefore, proclaimed the Revolution Announcement No.299 in order to put the justice power under the administration power.  The mistaken principle of power in democracy caused the widespread object by the people and the medical students.  The people’s discontentment with the military dictatorship continuously accumulated, especially with the extension of a term of office for two field marshals.  In addition, the case of hunting in Tung Yai had most undisguishedly violated the law.  The latter case had  pureheartedly been disclosed to the public by the groups of environment preservation which belonged to the ecology clubs of all universities, including Mahidol University.  They took the important roles in fact-finding in order to protect the national interests.  However, the Government’s behaviors were on the contrary.  So the students of the New Generation Club, Ramkamhaeng University, wrote the books to satirize the Government.  The result was that nine of them were dismissed from the University.  This situation was something like pouring oil on a fire.  The network of independent groups which were interconnected among the universities, as well as the Students’ Center of Thailand (SCT), was so much influential as it could persuade thousands upon thousands of the students and the people to make the assembly and protest that the Government was forced to retreat.  The appeal was also made to the Government to give the constitution with joint civil contract.	Later on, the movement was made by the groups of the students and the people to appeal for the constitution according to the civil contract, and in turn they were arrested.  Such arrest caused the movement of the students throughout the country, in order to  appeal to relieve the groups of appellants for democracy.  The movement of Mahidol University students grew unceasingly in strength, and almost every faculty came to join hands, especially the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, which participated in this  movement the first topmost in history.  The group of instructors as professionals gave support behind the scene.  And as they admired the equity, they assisted to take care of the wounded both at Thammasat University and at Siriraj Hospital.  The instructors and their students harmoniously worked to protect and help all the wounded and the escapees.	Although the movement on 14th October 1973 could change the Government  and the people won, some parts of the history have not yet revealed, especially the real causes of death and violence.  Some informations indicated various factors, one of which pointed out as an accident, while another collection mentioned that it happened  from the intention of the persons who could benefit from the situation.  However, the conclusion from various sections of Mahidol University students who participated in this event was the lack of communication between the leading center of the Students Center of Thailand (SCT) and the mass controller.  They had no modern tools for communication and the electric generator was forgotten to move along with the movement in order to assist in live broadcast.  While the Government and the official authorities concerned had the modern communication tools, but they let the event occur.