BANGKOK — The army on Wednesday marked the anniversary of the 1932 democratic uprising by holding a religious ceremony for pro-monarchy rebels who attempted to restore the king’s absolute rule.
At the army headquarters, monks held merit-making in memory of two rebel leaders Prince Boworadet and Phraya Si Sitthisongkhram. The pair led a counter-revolution a year after the June 24, 1932, coup that brought the absolute monarchy to an end.
The ceremony was reportedly held in private and attended only by a few military officers. It was held the same day pro-democracy activists staged rallies in Bangkok and several other provinces under a heavy presence of security officers.
Prince Boworadet and Phraya Si Sitthisongkhram gathered troops and marched on Bangkok in October 1933 in an attempt to roll back the regime of constitutional monarchy installed a year earlier. The rebels were ultimately defeated, with Phraya Si Sitthisongkhram killed in action and Prince Boworadet exiled to Indochina.
The two men are now honored by two rooms at the army HQ, which bear their names. The rooms were inaugurated in October by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and army chief Apirat Kongsompong.
