October 6 memories

October 6 came and went. And I didn't remember what happened on that date more than thirty years ago until it came up in conversation with two retired Thammasat professors. In their 70s, the professors remarked they did not see any public remembrances of Hok Tulaa (Oct. 6, 1976) this year, at least not in the media, and that the day passed quietly.

With little goading, the professors recalled what happened at the University during that turbulent phase in Thai politics. In 1973, a leftist student-led movement (supported by the urban middle class) paved the way to a democracy by ousting Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachon, representing the combined forces of the old ruling class and the army.

But subsequent elected parties failed to secure power. The oil crisis was in full swing, US forces withdrew from Thailand, and Indochinese neighbors fell to communism.

Societal polarization was growing, with protests erupting from both the left and the right. Phone lines were cut and professors were barricaded in their offices, listening for developments. No one dared wear any adornments to attract any sort of attention.

The growing tensions ruptured when FM Thanom returned from exile, under the guise of a Buddhist monk. Enraged student protesters and labor groups were labeled as communists by the army and other right-wing parties, sparking an anti-communist frenzy.

On October 6, paramilitary forces freely fired at students and civilians on Thammasat's campus. Captured protesters were forced to lie shirtless on the ground, some beaten, some already dead. Not only were bullet holes spattered on walls, someone had hacked at the buildings with an ax. Science labs were completely destroyed, a hole blown through the walls.

The professors said it was conducted like a lynching. Students were beaten, set ablaze, and/or killed, at times before a cheering crowd. Books were ordered to be torched publicly but professors tried to salvage important publications and historical records by hiding them in the rare books library.

October 6 truly constitutes a scary moment in modern Thai history. What's more, it is one not officially acknowledged with the resultant carnage. Without accountability, it is impossible to fully understand why things happened as they did. But without oral history, it would have long-slipped from public consciousness.