Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat

Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat
Name	Sarit Thanarat
Native name	สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์
Birth date	16 June 1908
Birth place	Bangkok, Siam
Death date	8 December 1963
Death place	Bangkok, Thailand
Rank	Field Marshal
Serviceyears	1928–1963
Battles	Franco-Thai War

Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat

Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat was a Thai military officer and politician who led a 1957 coup and served as Thailand's de facto leader and Prime Minister from 1959 until his death in 1963. He was a central figure in Cold War Southeast Asian politics, interacting with figures and institutions such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, United States Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency, and regional actors including Ngo Dinh Diem, Sukarno, and Laos. His tenure reshaped Thai monarchy, bureaucracy, and armed forces influence, and his legacy remains contested across Thai royalty and political parties.

Early life and military career

Born in Bangkok in 1908 into a family with provincial ties, Sarit attended the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy and began his career in the Royal Thai Army during the interwar period. He rose through staff and command posts alongside contemporaries from the Promsakdi family and classmates who later became leaders linked to the Free Thai Movement, Phibunsongkhram era officers, and participants in the 1932 Siamese revolution. Sarit saw operational service during the Franco-Thai War and held senior positions in the Royal Thai Army and Ministry of Defence, interacting with officials from the Royal Thai Police, Ministry of Interior, and provincial governors tied to the House of Chakri patronage network.

1947–1957 political rise and 1957 coup

During the late 1940s and 1950s Sarit aligned with military factions associated with Plaek Phibunsongkhram and later with members of the Saharat Thai Doem coalition and officers close to Phao Sriyanond. He benefited from relationships with commanders in the Isan and Northern Thailand regions and forged ties with bureaucrats in the Office of the Prime Minister and diplomats at missions to United Kingdom and United States. Political unrest following the 1957 Thai general election and scandals involving the Royal Household Bureau and allegations of corruption prompted Sarit to stage a coup on 16 September 1957, ousting Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram and installing a junta that included figures from the Supreme Council of State and conservative royalist elites.

Prime Ministership and domestic policies

As head of government and chairman of the junta, Sarit consolidated power through appointments drawing on veterans from the Royal Thai Armed Forces, police leaders from the Royal Thai Police, and technocrats from the Ministry of Finance and National Economic Council. His administration emphasized royalist restoration favoring the Monarchy of Thailand and enacted measures supported by proponents in the Privy Council, Royal Household Bureau, and Bangkok business elites including members of the Siam Commercial Bank and Thai Chamber of Commerce. Sarit promoted moral campaigns echoed in collaborations with religious authorities at Wat Phra Kaew and reformers linked to the National Buddhist Committee, while deploying security laws used by the Supreme Court of Justice and military courts to suppress opponents from the Saranae movement and leftist intellectuals associated with Thammasat University.

Foreign policy and relations with the United States

Sarit pursued a pro-United States and anti-communist orientation, deepening ties with the United States Department of Defense, United States Agency for International Development, and the Central Intelligence Agency amid the expanding Vietnam War context. He hosted American military advisors and allowed use of Thai bases near U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield and Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base for logistics tied to operations in Republic of Vietnam and cooperation with the South Vietnam government of Ngo Dinh Diem. Sarit's diplomacy involved exchanges with regional leaders including Sukarno of Indonesia, monarchs from Laos and Cambodia, and representatives from the United Nations, positioning Thailand as a U.S. partner in initiatives like the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization and multilateral talks concerning the Pathet Lao and North Vietnam.

Economic and social influence, patronage, and legacy

Sarit engineered an economic strategy that favored infrastructure projects, patronage networks, and partnerships with private conglomerates such as families tied to the Bhumibol Adulyadej era business class and institutions like the Bank of Thailand. He bolstered rural development programs coordinated with provincial governors and military district commanders, enhancing loyalty through appointments and contracts benefiting contractors linked to the House of Srivannavari patronage circle. His regime shaped Thai political culture, reinforcing conservative elites in parties like the Sapha Phongthong and influencing media outlets including Thai Rath and Bangkok Post. Historians debate whether his tenure stabilized Thailand amid Cold War pressures or entrenched authoritarianism that affected subsequent movements including the October 1973 uprising and reformist currents at Chulalongkorn University.

Health, death, and succession

Sarit suffered from chronic health conditions exacerbated by the demands of office, receiving treatment from physicians associated with the Siriraj Hospital and consultations involving medical staff tied to the Royal Household Medical Unit. He died in Bangkok on 8 December 1963, precipitating a succession process that elevated figures such as Thanom Kittikachorn and diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs into leading roles, while the Privy Council and royal advisers steered the appointment of a new power structure. His death opened contests among military cliques, police leadership, and civilian elites, shaping Thailand's trajectory through the remainder of the 1960s and into the Cold War era.

Category:Prime Ministers of Thailand Category:Thai military personnel Category:1908 births Category:1963 deaths