This coming October 6 is an important day for Thailand. 45 years ago this coming October 6, the Thai state committed crimes against its own people with the killing and lynching of unarmed student protesters.
Many lives ended on October 6, 1976 at Thammasat University. Some students were dragged out from the campus and beaten to death or hanged on a tree in the nearby royal plaza. A whole generation of students went into hiding or joined the communist guerrillas in the jungles of Thailand.
The massacre and the event has never been officially recognized by the Thai state. Many of the people who committed those crime live freely and prominently in Thai society. Even famous writers like Thom Yan Tee, who instigated the killings with their propaganda, is celebrated within Thai society despite her previous crimes.
That is why we, as citizens and students, must commemorate the events of October 6 every year. We must not forget and remember that state sanctioned violence is still an ongoing problem in our society even to this day. We must not forget Thai police firing indiscriminately into students and egging on vigilantes and mob violence.
October 6 is a day to reflect on institutional violence against students not just in our own country but in our region where the youth and independent ideas are frowned upon or banned. Just look t what happened to the Hong Kong Student Union.
It is a terrible indicator for our society and for Thammasat University to forbid the commemorations on campus when the crimes actually happened at their university. Perhaps now it is time to call for official recognition of the event not just at TU but every where in the country. Perhaps the United Nations should recognize such a day and promote the freedom of expression and the protection of students.
Otherwise we will forget this tragedy and that is what the state officially wants.