Sri Sitthi Songkhram

Phraya Sri Sitthi Songkhram (birth name: Din Tharab; Thai: พระยาศรีสิทธิสงคราม หรือ ดิ่น ท่าราบ; 1891 - October 23, 1933) was a Siamese career Army officer. He became Chief of Staff of the First Army under the absolute monarchy, and was Chief of Operations of the Army briefly during the post-1932 constitutional monarchy. He served as deputy commander of the royalist troops during the failed Boworadej Rebellion of 1933.

Life

Din Tharab had studied at a military academy in Imperial Germany and was a classmate of Plaek Pibulsonggram. He had received several royal titles, eventually becoming Phraya Sitthi Songkram. An outspoken royalist, on October 11, 1933, he joined Prince Boworadej in a rebellion to restore power to King Rama VII, who had surrendered it the previous year to the People's Party after its successful coup. Initially, the Rebellion positioned itself at Don Muang and Bang Khen, on the northern outskirts of Bangkok. After a week long fight, however, rebel forces were driven away from Bangkok. From then on, the government troops gained momentum and kept advancing on the rebellion's headquarters at Nakhon Ratchasima. On October 23, government troops charged Phraya Sri Sitthi Songkhram's defensive position near Nakhon Ratchasima. The battle was fierce, ending in bayonet fighting. Phraya Sri Sithi Songkram was shot by Lieutenant Praphas Charusathien, who 40 years later would become one of the "Three Tyrants" deposed in the October 1973 uprising. The following day, Prince Boworadej fled to Saigon and the revolt ended.

Phraya Sri Sitthi Songkram's daughter, Amphot Tharab, was the mother of General Surayud Chulanont, Commander of the Army and prime minister of Thailand following the successful army coup of 2006.

References

• Eiji Murashima, Democracy and the Development of Political Parties in Thailand 1932-1945, chapter 1 of Eiji Murashima, Nakharin Mektrairat, Somkiat Wanthana, "The Making of Modern Thai Political Parties", Joint Research Programme Series No.86, Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo, 1991
• (Thai) Thai Rath, เส้นทางจุลานนท์ ปฏิวัติ-กบฏ-นายก (Path of Chulanont Revolution-Rebellion-Premier), 5 October 2006
• (Thai) เหตุเกิดในแผ่นดิน เล่ม 6 (Occurrences in the Land, volume 6)

See also

• Boworadej
• Plaek Pibulsonggram
• History of Thailand (1932-1973)
• Prajadhipok
• Surayud Chulanont