Democracy Monument
The Democracy Monument ( Thai อนุสาวรีย์ ประชาธิปไตย , RTGS : Anusawari Prachathippatai, pronunciation: [ ʔànúʔsǎːwáriː pràʔt͡ɕʰaːtʰíppàʔtaj ] English Democracy Monument ) is a monument in the center of Bangkok , capital of Thailand . It is one of the city's landmarks. It is in the middle of a roundabout of Thanon Ratchadamnoen Klang (Ratchadamnoen-Klang-Boulevard) at the intersection with Thanon Dinso, in the district of Phra Nakhon , about halfway between Sanam Luang and Wat Saket .
Establishment of the plant
The monument was commissioned by Major General Phibunsongkhram (Phibun) in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 coup ("Siamese Revolution") that led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in what was then the Kingdom of Siam . Phibun envisioned a new, west-oriented Bangkok, with the monument as the center. He wanted to make "the Ratchadamnoen-Klang-Boulevard to the Champs-Élysées and the democracy monument to the Arc de Triomphe ". "
The monument was designed by the architect Mew Aphaiwong, whose brother Khuang Aphaiwong was a minister in Phibun's government. The relief sculptures at the base of the monument were made by the Italian sculptor Corrado Feroci , who was a citizen of Thailand and who took the Thai name Silpa Bhirasi.
The construction of the Democracy Monument was very unpopular at the time, as the local businessmen of Chinese origin had to leave their homes and businesses within 60 days to make way for a widening of the boulevard. Hundreds of shady trees also had to give way, which was a serious matter in those times without air conditioning because of the tropical climate. The foundation stone was laid on June 24, 1939, the 7th anniversary of the coup. The official inauguration was on June 22, 1940.
symbolism
In the center of the complex is a hexagonal shrine with doors on all sides (see picture 1 below), on the roof of which there is a symbolic sculpture of the constitution of 1932 on two golden sacrificial bowls. The constitution is symbolically protected by four concrete pillars that resemble outstretched wings. These four wings represent the four parts of the Thai armed forces - Army , Navy , Air Force and Police - that were involved in the 1932 coup.
The individual wings (see picture 2 below) are each 24 meters high, and the round monument base also has a radius of 24 meters. This is to commemorate June 24, 1932, the day the coup took place. The height of the central shrine - 3 meters - represents the month of June, the third month of the traditional Thai calendar . Originally there were 75 small cannons along the outer perimeter of the base, representing the year of the coup - 2475 according to the Buddhist calendar . The six doors in the central shrine stand for the six declared goals of the political line of Phibun's regime: "Independence, inner peace, equality, freedom, trade and education".
On the outside at the base of the four wings there are gargoyles (see picture 3 below) in the shape of a Garuda head with a naga in its beak . Both creatures come from Buddhist-Hindu mythology.
Are located on the side of the wing base relief - sculptures , which in their design propaganda are. They depict the Thai armed forces as both advocates of democracy and personification of the Thai people. In the version of the incidents depicted in these sculptures, the 1932 coup d'état was carried out by a united and idealistic armed force on behalf of the people in the Intention to bring democracy to Thailand. In the reliefs, civilians appear only as grateful recipients of the generosity and valor of the military.
The sculpture entitled "Soldiers Fight for Democracy" (see picture 4 below) shows the heroic armed forces in the united struggle for democracy, but it is not clear who they are fighting against. In the picture "embodiment of the people" (see picture 5 below) a soldier protects the Thai people who meanwhile go about their daily work. Incidentally, the mother with child on the left is the only female figure on the entire monument. In this relief the view of the military regime of 1939 becomes clear, which feels that it has been commissioned by the people.
The relief with the title "Embodiment of Balance and Good Life" (see picture 6 below) represents the social ideology of the military rulers. An allegorical figure sits in a meditation posture on a bench in the center of the picture, holding a sword in one hand and scales in the other. The figure stands for the nation, the sword for the military, the scales for justice. It is flanked by four groups of figures who embody sport, education, religion and the arts. Noteworthy is the “Sport” figure, a naked shot putter with a European face cut.
Detail shots
Image 1: Sculpture of the Thai constitution of 1932, which rests on two sacrificial bowls on the roof of the central shrine.
Photo 2: One of the four wings that protect the constitution.
Image 3: Garuda-shaped gargoyle with a naga in its beak
Figure 4: Relief "Soldiers fighting for democracy"
Image 5: Relief "embodiment of the people"
Image 6: Relief "Embodiment of Balance and Good Life"
Political importance
The story represented in these sculptures is a not inconsiderable distortion of the truth. The fact is that the 1932 coup was planned and carried out with almost no bloodshed by a small group of officers and a few civilian collaborators . This happened while the king was relaxing at the sea (see History of Thailand and Prajadhipok ). The coup was soon followed by the promulgation of Thailand's first constitution, which, however, was far from being democratic. There was a move towards more democracy in the mid-1930s, but this was not carried out by disagreements between the military and civilians in government. When the Democracy Monument was built in 1939, Thailand was a military dictatorship .
On closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the symbolism of the monument completely excludes the monarchy , which plays a central role in today's life and political culture. The fact that the coup was against King Prajadhipok (Rama VII), the uncle of the current king, and that he preferred to go into exile rather than accept his country's decline into military dictatorship is rarely mentioned today. Prajadhipok's successor, Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), was still a student in Switzerland at that time.
Now that Thailand is officially a democracy, few Thais know of the propaganda depictions in the reliefs of the monument. In addition, due to the enormous increase in traffic in Bangkok, it is usually impossible for pedestrians to reach the traffic island in the middle of the eight-lane boulevard in order to view the monument up close. However, there are plans to create a tunnel under the street , similar to the Berlin Victory Column .
Despite - or perhaps because of - the circumstances that led to the erection of this monument, this square is now often used for demonstrations by pro-democracy activists:
- In October 1973 this was the center of the largest mass protests that Thailand had known up to then and which led to the overthrow of Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn's military regime ( popular uprising in Thailand 1973 ).
- Here was a center of the protest rallies that triggered another military coup in 1976 ( massacre at Thammasat University ).
- During protests that demonstrated against the regime of General Suchinda Kraprayoon in 1992 , numerous people were killed in the so-called Black May .
- In 2009 and 2010 demonstrations of the "red shirts" took place here ( riots in Bangkok 2010 ).
- In 2013 the democracy monument was again the place of central protest rallies ( political crisis in Thailand 2013/2014 )
Since 1998, a memorial site with a small museum at the Kok-Wua intersection has been a reminder of the protests of 1973.
literature
- Koompong Noobanjong: The Democracy Monument. Ideology, Identity and Power Manifested in Built Forms. In: Journal of Architectural / Planning Research and Studies. Volume 5, No. 3, 2007, pp. 31-49.
Individual evidence
- ^ Ka F. Wong, Visions of a Nation: Public Monuments in Twentieth-Century Thailand , White Lotus, Bangkok 2006, 65
- ↑ Wadee Kheourai: Around Thailand in 99 Days: English for Tourism. Bangkok 1999. p. 31
Web links
- Article Asiaweek about the background of the protests of 1973 (English)
- Detailed information about the monument to October 14, 1973 ( Memento of October 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 13 ° 45 ′ 24.1 ″ N , 100 ° 30 ′ 6.5 ″ E