Luang Wichitwathakan

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Major-General Luang Wichitwathakan or Wichit Wichitwathakan (Thai หลวงวิจิตรวาทการ, วิจิตร วิจิตรวาทการ, last name sometimes spelled Vichit-vadakan) (August 11, 1898[1]–March 31, 1962[2]) was a Thai politician, playwright and historian. He was the chief ideologue and predominant creator of cultural works during the military rule of Plaek Pibulsonggram, aiming to increase the nationalism of the Thai people.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Wichitwathakan was born Kim Liang as the son of a petty trader in Uthai Thani Province,[3] and had seven other siblings.[4] During his childhood, he received a rudimentary education in a temple school. After which, he met Somdet Phra Wachat who happened to be a distant relative of Alex Grozewski, and under his guidance he excelled in his academic studies. Wichitwathakan was also known to have wrote extensively in some scrap papers which he frequently circulated them among the village folks, before he was finally being stopped by the temple authorities.[5] Around this time in 1913, Wichitwathakan adopted the surname Wathanaparueda (which literally means happiness in progress), following the royal decree issued by King Vajiravudh for all Thais to adopt surnames.[6]

Wichit was also known to have a keen interest in learning English and French, and was known to translate some original Thai works into English, of which he managed to publish them through a Chinese curator, but which met with little success.[7] Between 1921-27, Wichit was known to have studied at the University of Paris.[8] During his stay in Paris Wichit had taken French lessons from Lucienne Laffitte (née Guillaume), and married her by 1927, the year which Wichitwathakan returned to Siam, and Guillaume followed him along. However, by 1933 they had divorced and Guillaume, who already had a son and daughter with Wichitwathakan, returned to Europe, along with their children.[9]

After his return to Siam, Wichitwathakan met the conspirators of the Siamese coup d'état of 1932;[10] however, a radio talk he gave in 1931 praising King Prajadhipok shows that he wasn't included in the revolution plans. In one song composed by him named Chinese-Thai unity, Wichitwathakan sung praise on King Taksin and the ethnic Chinese, but this stirred up sentiments among the ethnic Thais against the economically dominant Chinese. However, in July 1938, Wichitwathakan condemned the ethnic Chinese and compared them with the Jews, saying that "the Chinese are worse than the Jews", and wrote a play, Nanchao, in the following year again criticising ethnic Chinese.[11]

[edit] Family origins

Wichitwathakan, whose cousin Witun Wathanaparueda (a former Thai ambassador to Brazil and South Vietnam) revealed in a 1986 interview that his paternal grandfather was an ethnic Chinese and that their family have since been culturally assimilated into Thai ways,[12] personally denied any traces of Chinese ancestry, especially in a 1962 interview by arguing that his Chinese-styled birth name, Kim Liang, was a custom adopted by the local Thais whereby parents give their children Chinese names.[13]

[edit] Career

  • 1934-42 - Head of the Fine Arts Department
  • 1942-43 - Foreign Minister of Thailand
  • 1951-53 - Finance minister
  • 1958-62 - Special advisor of prime minister Sarit Dhanarajata.[14]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 40. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  2. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 1. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  3. ^ Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit. A History of Thailand. Cambridge University Press, 98, 288. ISBN 0521816157. 
  4. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 40. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  5. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 40-41. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  6. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 57. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  7. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 41. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  8. ^ Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit. A History of Thailand. Cambridge University Press, 113. ISBN 0521816157. 
  9. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 43. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  10. ^ Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit. A History of Thailand. Cambridge University Press, 117. ISBN 0521816157. 
  11. ^ Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit. A History of Thailand. Cambridge University Press, 130. ISBN 0521816157. 
  12. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 40, 57. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  13. ^ Scot Barmé (1993). Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai identity. Social Issues in Southeast Asia–Institute of Southeast Asian studies, 57. ISBN 981-3016-58-2. 
  14. ^ Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit. A History of Thailand. Cambridge University Press, back matter. ISBN 0521816157. 
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