October 14, People and Democracy

Abstract

In the 1960s,Thailand was ruled by a military dictatorship. As time transpired, a succession of tyrants presided over a corrupt government, provoking the people increasingly. A large numbers of people reacted to the violent repression by coming out to join the demonstration on Ratchadamnoen Avenue. Mr. Chira Boonmak, a graduate student at the National Institute of Development Administration, also participated in the protest and was shot dead in front of an old building of the Public Relations Department (PRD) on Ratchadamnoen Avenue.The names of Chira Boonmak and other political martyrs became symbols of the bloody battle. They have been widely admired as democratic heroes ever since.