View Full Version : Prince Sithiporn Kridakara
This is an interesting aside to another Prince Story we discussed in the 'SRT' Thread on 'The Second Kra Railway':-
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4777&postcount=38
http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Biography/BiographyKridakaraSit.htm
http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/ImgAwardees/ImgKridakaraSit.jpg
http://tinypic.com/5cfx8h
Prince Sithiporn Kridakara ended up in prison on Tarutao Island in Satun Province. I haven't read this in detail yet, so I don't know exactly what relation he was to Prince Jitjanok Kridakara. His age probably means he is not the person pictured in my other thread, at Khun Mechai's Wedding; although they have some resemblance.
Thanks to Khun Wisaruth for giving us MC Sithiporn's year of death in 1971, at about the age of 88. The article in the previous post was originally published about 1967:-
Khun Wisaruth's Post (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4778&postcount=39)
QUOTE: Khun Wisaruth:-
For the case of Momchao Sitthiporn Kridakara (Kritsadakorn) [1883 - 1971], his is "the Farther of Modern Thai Agriculture" thanks to hispioneer at Bang Berd Farm in Prachuab Khirikhan ... He pubished his magazine abotu the modern agriculture since 1927 and MOAC has decied to take over this pubishing jobs later on.
Momchao Sitthiporn Kridakara was thrown in Tarutao Prison
from 1933 to 1945 due to his blood connection with
fugitive Gen. Prince Bowondej who escaped into Indochina (Vietnam)
after the failed coup. - Momchao Sitthiporn Kridakara is a younger
borther of Gen. Prince Bowondej.
Well, Momchao Sitthiporn Kridakara has his own words often quoted:
"Money is illusion - Food is the real thing!" ... He pased away in 1971 though.
One possible conclusion from the similarity of these two people is that Mom Chao Jitjanok is the gentleman in the middle of Khun Mechai’s Wedding Photo; not the man on the far right. As one observer of these two photos put it, the two thin-faced men in the two separate photos both ‘look really like King Mongkut’. We know that Sithiporn was Boworodet’s brother, and that Jitjanok was a younger brother of Boworodet. Jitjanok is shown here as fairly recently retired, and the thin-faced man in the wedding photo could be that age; whereas Sithiporn would have been about 89 at the time of this photo (if still alive); so I guess it wasn’t him. The age difference between Sithiporn & Jitjanok would have been about 20 Years perhaps.
The other strong possibility is that the thin-faced man is Sithiporn’s son from his first marriage, Amnuayporn. Thus, he might have been Putrie’s much older cousin. Maybe I should ask Thomas D’Agnes or Khun Mechai to clarify this. PLEASE NOTE, I have now posted the two photos together in the initial post of this thread.; for ease of comparison.
Ban Bangberd appears from 1:250,000 maps to be right on the border of Prachuap & Chumpon Provinces. The village itself appears to be just within Chumpon Province about 12 miles from Bang Saphan Noi Station in Prachuap Province; but the farm might have been across the border; or there may have been confusion because of the Station being in Prachuap. There are probably closer small stations, but I think we can surmise that General Sarit would have wanted to arrive in style at a bigger station rather than a wayside halt. The 1985 map shows that such a road existed. My informant tells me that general Sarit definitely had large land tracts confiscated by later governments.
Sithiporn tried to sell Bangberd Farm to the Government as a Coconut Research Center. Such a Research Center now exists just south of Chumpon. This Center is on a much larger scale than Bangberd ever was; but noticeably applies extremely similar intercropping and crop diversification policies.
The account of his being incarcerated on Tarutao matches a ‘Rough Guide’ account that coup plotters from the 1930s were imprisoned there; but later returned to high-ranking Civil Service Positions. I seem to remember that the small museum on Tarutao also makes reference to a Prince being incarcerated there. If he was sent to Koh Tao in the 1940s, it is doubtful that he had much contact with those guards and prisoners who turned to collective piracy in 1945 (having received no rations from the Government for some months). [The British Navy was eventually sent to quell the Piracy. Check out the novel ‘Pirates of Tarutao’ by Paul Adirex (AKA Pongpol Adireksan; a Minister in Taksin 1 and many other governments. I haven’t read it myself, having been put off by one of his more ‘fantastic’ novels.]
There is a vineyard on a small hillside just south of Hua-Hin, near the railway. I guess this might be Sithiporn’s retirement holding at ‘Khao Noi’.
The article appears to have been written in 1967.
http://www.thaiembassy.jp/embassy-e/image/itchanok.jpg
H.S.H. Prince Jitjanok Kritakara, Thai Ambassador to Japan from1958-1964; as pictured by the Thai Embassy in Japan. This tends to suggest he is the gentleman at center back in Khun Mechai's Wedding Photo.
Mom Chao Sithiporn Kridakara as immortalised on a 1983 Postage Stamp:-
http://www.pinnyshop.com/asp/store/www/pimages/stamp_l/A289_1031.jpg
Interesting account of the conditions on Koh Tao for Political Prisoners in the 1940s. MC Sithiporn was moved to Koh Tao after Tarutao. This article makes it clear why the political prisoners were moved. They obviously didn't want them to fall into the hands of British Military Intelligence:-
http://www.geocities.com/kohtao2001/kohtao/in_memory.htm
http://www.geocities.com/kohtao2001/kohtao/in_memory02.htm
http://www.geocities.com/kohtao2001/kohtao/in_memory03.htm
Again, I haven't fully read this account, yet, but I notice Sithiporn is mentioned in a few places.
I notice also that So Sethabutr was also a political prisoner on Koh Tao. Anyone who has gone out to buy an English-Thai or Thai-English Dictionary will know he has compiled several which are still on sale everywhere.
This article says that some of the Boworodet Coup Plotters tried to escape from Tarutao to Langkawi. Makes you wonder whether Sithiporn was amongst them. Could this have been the cue for the Political Prisoners being moved to Koh Tao?:-
http://www.bangkokpost.com/horizons/161299_Horizons01.html
And if you fancy a more fanciful account of the later proceedings on & near Tarutao. The site was recently used to film the Survivor 'Reality TV' series:-
http://www.dcothai.com/images/products/piratesoftarutao1.gif
http://www.dcothai.com/product_info.php?products_id=78
I notice also that So Sethabutr was also a political prisoner on Koh Tao. Anyone who has gone out to buy an English-Thai or Thai-English Dictionary will know he has compiled several which are still on sale everywhere.
Closer examination tells us that the article claims to have been written by So Sethaputra (To use the spelling on his own dictionaries). The English is pretty garbled for a dictionary compiler; but one might expect that from a person who has overloaded himself with numerous interpretations of the same word. But I'm not sure 'So' was actually involved in writing this article. My guess is that the writer interviewed 'So' and misunderstood the English Language tradition of using 'by' for the actual author. 'So' would be very old by now; probably too old. Unless he was incarcerated as a very young man. Perhaps he compliled the dictionaries in later life. They look very dated, even in the latest reprints[Although there are now CD-Rom versions of some of them].
http://www.bangkokbest.com/images/software/diction.jpg
If 'So' did write this article, he used the tradition of talking about himself by name. To me, that just doesn't add up. It's the kind if way a very low-status person [no slur intended at all to such folk] would talk about himself; and I doubt he was that. I'm fairly certain the real author interviewed 'So' or borrowed his account from elsewhere.
Well the linked 'Sarakadee' ('Documentary') Magazine article (below) says he was imprisoned at Bang Khwang first (as was MC Sithiporn) and that he compiled the dictionary in prison. Exasperatingly, it says nothing about his ordeal on Koh Tao (& probably Tarutao too) or his later life:-
http://www.sarakadee.net/feature/2002/04/so_sethaputra_en.htm
Like MC Sithiporn, he has the face of a person who has been ill-treated:-
http://www.sarakadee.net/feature/2002/04/images/so_sethaputra_02.gif
If 'So' was still alive, he'd be over 100 by now. Another page from 'Sarakadee' Magazine in Thai shows further small pictures with examples of So's politically-charged dictionary defintions; such as 'O is for 'Most Oligarchies finally become Dictatorships':-
http://www.sarakadee.net/feature/2002/04/so_sethaputra.htm
The publishers continue to reprint his dictionary, and put it on new media; with very little sign of update.
http://www.thaistudents.com/kingandi/siam/mongkut7.jpg
Mom Chao Sithiporn Kridakara as immortalised on a 1983 Postage Stamp:-
http://www.pinnyshop.com/asp/store/www/pimages/stamp_l/A289_1031.jpg
http://www.thaiembassy.jp/embassy-e/image/itchanok.jpg
H.S.H. Prince Jitjanok Kritakara, Thai Ambassador to Japan from1958-1964; as pictured by the Thai Embassy in Japan.
Just to compare Mom Chao Sithiporn Kridakara (The Stamp), Mom Chao Jitjanok Kridakara (As Ambassador to Japan) with their grandfather, King Mongkut AKA King Rama IV.
Note that 'H.S.H.' stands for 'His Serene Highness', but is often rendered as 'Prince' in English. The rank of 'Mom Chao' is reserved for ' A Grandson of a Thai King'.
Incidentally, I have still found no firm evidence that Sithiporn & Jitjanok were offspring of the same parents; or even offspring of the same father. Even 'semi-official' websites are extremely vague on this.
.
The publishers continue to reprint his dictionary, and put it on new media; with very little sign of update.
My own Desk Edition of So Sethaputra’s New Model Thai-English Dictionary does not contain the politically-charged definitions mentioned in the previous post; presumably because of space. However, I was able to examine a new Library Edition of his dictionary. I wanted to home in on the usage entry ‘Oligarchies often become dictatorships’, but unfortunately I was looking at the ‘A to L’ of a two-book set; and ‘M to Z’ wasn’t on the shelf. Luckily, the word ‘democracy’ produced an example that ran something like ‘So-called democracies are guilty of many crimes’.
The English foreword produced the information that the dictionary had been compiled before World War Two and some very ‘flowery’ English & sentiments to the effect that ‘So’ hoped the dictionary would help to promote world peace amongst speakers of the largest language group ‘outside China’.
As ‘So’ was not released until 1944, his foreword seems to confirm that the dictionary was largely compiled in Bangkhwang Prison in the 1930s; with ‘So’ desperately trying to find ways to support his family while behind bars. The described ‘hard labor’conditions on Tarutao & Koh Tao almost certainly meant that he was unable to pursue his ‘work’ in those two places. Hopefully, the dictionary was already generating income at that point; but I suppose it may have been published under a pseudonym. The harshness with which the sentence was carried out suggests a completely unbending approach from the authorities. Note that Mom Chao Sitthiporn’s oldest son was denied ministry employment in 1944 because of his father’s crimes. One cannot imagine a dictionary, compiled by a notorious dissident, being knowingly allowed circulation; unless shorn of its controversial usage examples. On the other hand, most of us know only too well that ‘criticism’ often survives because the authorities don’t ‘dip’ into such taxing works themselves very often. It’s also extremely doubtful whether the average learner is going to register that someone is making a political ‘pass’ at him or her in a dictionary. So I guess ‘So’ was just trying to relieve some of his own incarcerated frustrations.
It would be truly interesting to know why these prisoners generated so much animosity; especially since they so often went back to important government positions after the war. We all know that other VIPs found guilty of heinous crimes have been treated very well in the clink.
I suspect we cannot bring our own notions of ‘royalist’ and ‘reformer’ to the aftermath of this coup attempt. The more I read about it, the more I get the impression that the military elements of ‘The Promoters’ of the 1932 Constitution were well & truly miffed by not being able to secure high-ranking posts when they returned from their privileged scholarships in Europe. They were not able to rationalise themselves as being victims of world economic recession; but had to look for ‘scapegoats’ for their frustrations, as they tried to consolidate their tenuous grip on reality.
This inability to ‘turn the other cheek’ in the case of so-called ‘loss of face’ situations is truly fascinating; and probably continues to be one of the root causes of the ‘never improving’ political situation. For observers raised to be proud of their own ‘supposed’ lowly social status, it’s almost impossible to grasp how ‘powerplay’ generates such extreme examples of ego inflation & fantasised ‘status’.
http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/Tram/writers.shtml
During Boworndej Revolt in the mid-October 1933, Bangsue-Bang Krabue tram was temporarily halted for security reasons since the government moved the troops from the units around Dusit area to fight against Boworndej units from Isan, Saraburi, and Ayutthaya in the rainy and muddy paddy fields in Bang Khen area.
http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/Tram/writers.shtml
The same page also produced this:-
On November 8, 1947, Trams at Saladaeng were parked longer than usual and it found out that there was a coup'd etat, so the traffic near the Ministry of Interior and Defense was stopped until the Army kicked Rear Admiral Thawan and his cabinet out.
http://www.winbookclub.com/notedetail.php?DetailID=37&bookid=2
Have included this in quotes because there's something wrong with the webpage, which renders it difficult to read. I've seen this book on sale in quite a few Thai bookshops:-
ประชาธิปไตยบนเส้นขนาน (2537)
Martin Clutterbuck - The Nation, August 24, 1997
Prachathipatai Bon Sen Khanan (Democracy, Shaken & Stirred) By Win Lyovarin Reviewed by Martin Clutterbuck From the Nation on Sunday, August 24, 1997.
Kindred souls on opposite sides of the political fence As the political scene heats up again, the Sea-Write Award committee has seized on the “topicality” of Win Liewwarin, choosing as this year’s winner a book that views modern Thai history through the eyes of its two main protagonists : the aristocrat Luang Krisdavinij, who, after supporting the losing side in the failed Boworndej Rebellion of October 1933, takes to the jungle and survives as a bandit, using the name Seua Yoi; and Tui Pankem, a policeman of humble origins who has risen to the rank of lieutenant general by the novel’s end. As personal bodyguard to the prime minister, Field Marshal Plaek Phibulsongkhram, Tui is kept close to political events. And this device allows him to be a politically neutral fly on the wall in the halls of power until Phibul is removed. Win weaves his story around major historic events, making the action tangential to the main thrust of politics. And the copious background information he gives fills a gap in Thai historiography. Win is quite fearless when it comes to exposing unpalatable facts about the Phibul era and successfully untangles the web of minor characters who clustered around the prime minister, explaining the relationships they had with Phibul and each other. Through the eyes of Tui, Win gives a human dimension to a man often vilified as a heartless dictator. We are introduced to Phibul’s circle of duplicitous flatterers, the men who fed the field marshal’s paranoia and megalomania. Phibul’s most outstanding trait was the “strong fortune” which enabled him to survive several battles, coups and assassination attempts, including that surreal moment in 1951 when the warship Si Ayutthaya (on which Phibul had been taken prisoner) is sunk by the Air Force; somehow, Phibul manages to swim to safety. Finally, there is his ignominious exit from power in 1957, fleeting on a fishing boat to Cambodia after being deposed by his own Army chief, Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat. Win’s cynical tone pervades the whole novel. The main theme is that politicians of all hues use events as a pretext; thus Win can even mention the tragic death of King Rama VIII as being the pretext for the coup led by Lt. Gen Phin Choonhavan which restored Phibul to power in 1948. Some myths of the left are exposed : Win makes the point that some of the alternatives to Phibul might not have been any less brutal, given the chronic instability of parliaments at that time. More interesting, perhaps are details he supplies about figures behind the scenes, especially concerning that shadowy figure, Phin Choonhavan. From the late ‘50s onwards, Win’s protagonists witness the repression of FM Sarit Thanarat, such as extrajudicial execution and cold-blooded political assassinations. An increase in the scale and tempo of the killings is noted. FM Thanom Kittikachorn’s 10-year rule is brushed over except for 1973. Here Win contrasts youthful idealism with exposure of the cynical motives of politicians supporting the protesting students. He uses the events after 1976 to reinforce the ‘50s; forcing people to the communists, stopped only by Gen Prem’s amnesties. It is here that we find the meaning of the title. The “parallel paths” of democracy, represented by the idealist rebel Sua Yoi and the constitutionalist policeman Tui at last seem to be converging with Prem’s orders of 1980. Yet by May 1992, the old cynicism has returned through an encounter with politicians on the two sides of that event, both of whom have a material interest in the outcome. Although the story labours under historical context, the characters and the drama move convincingly enough. They are generally on opposing sides as the bullets fly, Yoi with superior marksmanship, and Tui with better information of plots and counter-plots. Sua Yoi takes up the rebel flag while Tui is the faithful servant of dictators. Yet the two men are soul brothers in their profound disillusion with politics from 1933 onwards. The novel abounds with their pithy philosophies. For instance, Yoi’s comment that “If you don’t play politics, be careful it does not end up playing you,” and Tui’s reassuring response: “They have less to fear from an open opponent like you than their own cronies.” Win has added a third parallel in the writings of Buddhadassa Bhikku on the subject of politics that preface each chapter. Prachathipatai is fascinating book, well written and thought out. Win is of a younger generation that can approach the period with detachment. Stylistic flaws include repetitions in setting scenes, while torrents of historical fact seem too artificial as dialogue. His achievement lies in an insightful telling of ignored or forgotten aspects of Thailand’s history.
(2537)
One post seems to have gone missing in this thread. So I'll try to remember what I posted.
Khun Wisaruth has made a massive contribution to the 'Thai Rail Transit' Forum on:-
www.skyscrapercity.com
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=102736&page=15&pp=20
I came across two entries which referred to locos which were used as 'Land Torpedos' during the Boworodet Coup. Prince Sitthiporn was almost certainly Prince Boworodet's younger brother; although I'm not sure if they were born of the same mother or not.
We know that Prince Sitthiporn was jailed for his role in the coup. One of his actions was to organise a group of Royalist fellow-travellers to park their cars on level-crossings in order to stop the 'Promoter' Faction from bringing tanks into the city; in order to protect it against the Boworodet Faction coming from the direction of Isaan.
The obvious conclusion from the label 'Land Torpedo' given to this/these locos is that they were used to ram their way through such 'carricades'. Hopefully, Khun Wisaruth will enlighten us further on this one.
Heretoowith the 'Hanomag' Loco plinthed outside 'Khorat' Main Station; which Khun W labels the 'Land Torpedo'.
http://www.yimsiam.com/cgi-bin/data/fanrotfaithai/pic/00059873.jpg
http://www.winbookclub.com/notedetail.php?DetailID=37&bookid=2
Have included this in quotes because there's something wrong with the webpage, which renders it difficult to read. I've seen this book on sale in quite a few Thai bookshops:-
Have bought a translated copy of Win Lyovarin's novel. Just looking through the pictures first, I found myself face-to-face with pictures of the 'Land Torpedo' Hanomag. Not to mention Tarutao, Sitthiporn, So Setthabutr and a whole host of other 'coup' players.
I report back on this as I actually read it; but my initial reaction is that this is a must-read for anyone even vaguely interested in the ongoing post-1932 farce.
More anon!
Having gutted this fairly thin volume in about five hours, I can confirm yet again that I find Paul Adirex's (Pongpol Adireksan's) writing style more than a tad bizarre. That said, it is full of obviously quite factual detail about the whole post-1932 ongoing fiasco. Don't expect a Conrad of a novel! But I notice Pongpol pays his own tribute to Conrad early on.
Recommended Light Reading!
I'll post up more on this by-&-by. This book provides quite a lot of extra detail about the various coup players featured in this thread.
This article says that some of the Boworodet Coup Plotters tried to escape from Tarutao to Langkawi. Makes you wonder whether Sithiporn was amongst them. Could this have been the cue for the Political Prisoners being moved to Koh Tao?:-
http://www.bangkokpost.com/horizons/161299_Horizons01.html
And if you fancy a more fanciful account of the later proceedings on & near Tarutao. The site was recently used to film the Survivor 'Reality TV' series:-
http://www.dcothai.com/images/products/piratesoftarutao1.gif
http://www.dcothai.com/product_info.php?products_id=78
Have bought a translated copy of Win Lyovarin's novel. Just looking through the pictures first, I found myself face-to-face with pictures of the 'Land Torpedo' Hanomag. Not to mention Tarutao, Sitthiporn, So Setthabutr and a whole host of other 'coup' players.
I report back on this as I actually read it; but my initial reaction is that this is a must-read for anyone even vaguely interested in the ongoing post-1932 farce.
More anon!
So Sethabutr was also known as Luang Maha Sitti Woharn (Luang Mahasit).
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4933&postcount=4
From Win Lyovarin's (1994)'Democracy, Shaken & Stirred', an image of the Land Torpedo Hanomag Loco deliberately crashed into a train of anti-aircraft guns mounted on rail bogies in October 1933. The loco's driver was Arun Bunnag, who was sentenced to the penal colony on Koh Tarutao as a political prisoner.
Also a picture of government soldiers boarding a train to Hin Lub (where?) to oppose the opposing forces of Prince Boworodet's 'Operation Deerstalking' in the 1933 coup attempt.
Go out and buy this book if you have even the slightest interest in Thai railways, armed forces, politics and penal colonies. Apparently, it is a set book on some Political Science courses in Thailand:-
http://tinypic.com/view.html?pic=5v252q
The result of the crash between the two trains was that both trains fell into a swamp, and many Government soldiers were drowned.
The coup was actually coordinated from Nakorn Srithammarat, but soldiers from Isaan garrisons were heavily involved. However, the Ubon Ratchathani Garrison switched to the Government side and captured the 'National Restorers' rearguard garrison at Khorat. They then cut off the coup plotters route of retreat by destroying the railway between Pakchong & Khorat; including a bridge over the Chee River. Bomber aircraft were then sent against the retreating forces. Hin Lap was probably Prince Boworodet's last stand before his forces disintegrated and he ran off to Vietnam. (He returned, apparently without recrimination, in about 1949.)
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