Thanom Kittikachorn
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Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn (August 11, 1912 -June 16, 2004, Thai ถนอม กิตติขจร) was a Thai military leader and former prime minister of Thailand.
An avuncular-looking army officer with iron-grey hair and a toothy grin, Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn was a staunch anti-Communist who oversaw a decade of harsh military rule in Thailand, from 1963 to 1973.
Born in Ban Nhong Ploung, Tak province, he entered the military in 1929, becoming the commander of a division in 1950. After he supported the military coup of Sarit Dhanarajata he became Minister of Defence and also briefly Prime Minister in 1958. After Sarit died in 1963, Thanom succeeded him as Prime Minister, continuing the harsh pro-American and anti-Communist politics of his predecessor. In 1971 he increased his powers by a military takeover of the government. However, this led to protests, and he was finally forced to resign after a massacre of pro-democracy students claimed 77 lives on October 14, 1973. Thanom went into exile.
Thanom came to be known as one of the country's so-called "Three Tyrants" when he ran the country in the 1960s and early 1970s with his son, Col. Narong Kittikachorn, and Narong's father-in-law, Field Marshal Praphas Charusathien.
Thanom, who also held the rank of field marshal, was generally seen as the more conciliatory partner, and Praphas the hard-liner. A dapper, silver-haired man with a cheery grin, Thanom often served as a peacemaker between opposing political factions.
Thanom's regime - like Sarit's - was notable for massive corruption and close ties to the United States because of their shared drive against communism.
The three were driven into exile following a bloody student-led uprising in October 1973. They were accused of nepotism, massive corruption and ordering the massacre of protesters in the streets of Bangkok during the uprising.
Thanom was allowed to return to Thailand in late 1976 from Singapore to serve as a Buddhist monk, sparking new demonstrations by pro-democracy protesters. Many believe his return was meant to set the stage for a right wing counterrevolution.
On October 6, 1976, a cold-blooded massacre of student protesters by police and the army took place at Bangkok's Thammasat University, and a coup installed a new, military-guided right-wing government. During the Thammasat student uprising, over 300 students were brutally beaten, tortured, burned alive, and killed by police, army, and paramilitary units in an orgy of violence.
Neither Thanom nor his two former ruling partners resumed any public political role. Over the past decade, he made an effort to rehabilitate his public image - arguing that he was not responsible for the 1973 violence - and sought to recover some property seized when he was overthrown.
In March 1999, Thanom was nominated to the honorary royal guard by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, a highly controversial act.
Thanom died on June 16, 2004 in the Bangkok General Hospital, after suffering a stroke and a heart attack in January 2004.
| Preceded by: Pote Sarasin | Prime Minister of Thailand 1958 | Succeeded by: Sarit Dhanarajata |
| Preceded by: Sarit Dhanarajata | Prime Minister of Thailand 1963–1973 | Succeeded by: Sanya Dharmasakti |