Chapter – 7: Royal Road - Democracy Monument

The Royal Road and Democracy Monument

Figure 36 Ratchadamnoen Avenue source: Kim Dovey,2001

In the early 20th century, in the reign of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn, 1853-1910), who planned the modernisation of Siam and the governmental and social reforms, the Ratchadamnoen Avenue had been created to connect the Grand Palace to the Dusit Palace, a new western-style palace outside the city wall. Not only connecting to the Grand Palace, but it also links with the group of sacred buildings and political symbolics around the palace such as Sanam Luang (ceremonial plaza) and the City Pillar to a new Royal Plaza and New Throne Hall. Its connection can be read as the shifting of the political power area and the link between the old monarchical traditional style and the new modernisation of Siam. The avenue was built with the western style of the boulevard on the old orchard dyke area of Baan Paanthom. Ratchadamnoen, in Thai, means “royal walk,” named as the Queen’s Walk in London. In the early period, the road had been used for cars owned by the royal family members or the elite class.

Figure 37 Democracy Monument Drawing source: Kitti Chupanich, 2021 In 1939, seven years after the Siam Revolution, the military Prime Minister, Plaek Phibunsonkham commission the construction of the Democracy Monument to commemorate the Siamese Revolution of 1932, which changed the political regime from the absolute monarchy to the constitutional monarchy. It was designed by M.L. Pum Malakul, who designed many monuments in Thailand, and sculpted by Corrado Feroci. a Florence-born sculptor. The monument comprises many elements referred to the revolution day and the government propaganda, for example, its radius from the centre to wings and its wing’s height is 24 meters referred to 24th June (the revolution day), and the relief sculptures on the wing’s foundation depict the stories of the revolution. The military government decided to place the symbol of the revolution on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, the symbol of the royal route, and impose new buildings along the road with neoclassical style. The meaning of the avenue still exists, but the monument

superimposes a new layer of memory on the previous. Both memories give meaning to each other without the existence of the avenue, the memory of the monument would be faint.

After World War II, the Free Thai Movement, an underground movement against imperial Japan during the war led by the political elites, held the military parade on the Ratchadamnoen avenue to show the success in maintaining Thai sovereignty and the relation with the Allies. Ratchadamnoen avenue again had been used to demonstrate the power of the state, only changed the characters. In October 1973, over 400,000 people rallied from Sanam Laung to Democracy Monument to protest the military dictatorship. The event resulted in several deaths and over 800 injurers. The 14th October Memorial had been placed on this road devoted to civilians killed by the military. In the next 19 years, the large protest occurred again, and many losses and injurers were replicated (Balck May or Bloody May 1992). From these two significant marks of history, new layers of memory were imposed again. Since then, history still has been repeated over time, and the Democracy Monument has become a significant rally point for protesters. On this avenue, we can see the palimpsest of both visible and invisible layers juxtaposing and weaving together.

Figure 38 Democracy Monument source: Royal Thai Survey Department