Phao Sriyanond
Encyclopedia
Phao Sriyanond was a director general of Thailand
's national police who was notorious for his excesses against political opponents. He eventually fled the country and died in exile.
. He took part in the 1947 Coup d'état
that ended the last of Pridi Phanomyong
's attempts to create democracy in post-World War II Thailand, restoring disgraced Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram
to power.
Made deputy director of the police, Phao quickly staged a show trial of the alleged "assassins" of King Ananda Mahidol
(Rama VIII), in which three members of the palace staff were found guilty despite any evidence and were eventually executed even though they had earlier found innocent.
Phao established an intimate circle of police officers, known generally as the "Knights of the Diamond Ring", which was notorious for its treatment of opponents of the government and the police generals - even resorting to assassination and murder. Their crimes were many:
Phao was extremely wealthy. He demanded protection money from businessmen, rigged the gold exchange, and blackmailed corporations into giving him huge shareholdings. He also profited greatly from the opium trade.
Police units transferred opium from the poppy fields of the Golden Triangle
to Bangkok
, ready to be exported. Trucks, planes, and boats which had been supplied to the police by the CIA, were instead used to move opium, which the police carefully guarded.
, where he died at the age of 50.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
's national police who was notorious for his excesses against political opponents. He eventually fled the country and died in exile.
Rise to power
An ambitious army officer of Thai-Burmese ancestry, Phao married the daughter of General Phin ChoonhavanPhin Choonhavan
Field Marshal Phin Choonhavan was a Thai military leader. Phin was a leader of several coups against the government, most notably the 1947 coup...
. He took part in the 1947 Coup d'état
Siamese coup d'état of 1947
The Siamese coup d'état of 1947 was a Thai coup d’état that happened on the evening of 7 November 1947, ending in the early hours of the morning on 8 November. The coup ousted the government of Rear Admiral Thawan Thamrong Nawasawat, who was replaced by Khuang Aphaiwong as Prime Minister of...
that ended the last of Pridi Phanomyong
Pridi Phanomyong
Pridi Banomyong was a highly revered Thai politician. He was a former Prime Minister and Senior Statesman of Thailand, and was named one of the world's great personalities of the 20th century by UNESCO in 2000.-Family background:...
's attempts to create democracy in post-World War II Thailand, restoring disgraced Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram
Plaek Pibulsonggram
Field Marshal Plaek Pibunsongkhram , often known as Phibun Songkhram or simply Phibun in English, was Prime Minister and virtual military dictator of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and 1948 to 1957.- Early years :...
to power.
Made deputy director of the police, Phao quickly staged a show trial of the alleged "assassins" of King Ananda Mahidol
Ananda Mahidol
Ananda Mahidol was the eighth monarch of Thailand under the House of Chakri. At the time he was recognized as king by the National Assembly, in March 1935, he was a nine-year-old boy living in Switzerland. He returned to Thailand in December 1945. Six months later, in June 1946, he was found shot...
(Rama VIII), in which three members of the palace staff were found guilty despite any evidence and were eventually executed even though they had earlier found innocent.
Police terror
Phao was promoted to the position of director of the police in 1951, by which time he had become one of the country's all-powerful triumvirate. A client of the CIA, Phao received funds and hardware to build his personal fortune, as well as to turn the police into an alternative force to oppose his military rival, Sarit Thanarat.Phao established an intimate circle of police officers, known generally as the "Knights of the Diamond Ring", which was notorious for its treatment of opponents of the government and the police generals - even resorting to assassination and murder. Their crimes were many:
- In March 1949, three MPsMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
from Isaan and an associate, all one-time disciples of the exiled Pridi, were arrested on charges of treason. They were shot dead by their police escort while supposedly being transferred from one jail to another.
- On December 12, 1952, Tiang SirikhanthTiang SirikhanthTiang Sirikhanth was a Thai politician and a Seri Thai resistance leader during World War II.-Early life:...
- MP for Sakon NakhonSakon Nakhon ProvinceSakon Nakhon is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin and Udon Thani...
, a leading Seri Thai member and an opponent of the government - was arrested with four of his associates. They were murdered (allegedly by strangulation in a police station) and their bodies burned in a forest in Kanchanaburi ProvinceKanchanaburi Province- History :Archaeology found in Kanchanaburi dates back to the 4th century which proves of trade with surrounding countries even in that time. Very little is also historically known about the actual Khmer influence in Kanchanaburi but there is evidence of their occupation with Prasat Muang Singh –...
.
- A successful newspaper publisher, Ari Liwara, refused to sell out to Phao and was killed in March 1953.
- In 1954 Phon Malithong, MP for Samut SakhonSamut Sakhon ProvinceSamut Sakhon ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand.Neighboring provinces are Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok.- Etymology :...
who provided evidence of corruption against Phao in Parliament, was in found tied to a concrete pier in the Chao Phraya RiverChao Phraya RiverThe Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It runs through Bangkok, the capital city, and then empties into the Gulf of Thailand.-Etymology:...
, having first been strangled.
Phao was extremely wealthy. He demanded protection money from businessmen, rigged the gold exchange, and blackmailed corporations into giving him huge shareholdings. He also profited greatly from the opium trade.
Police units transferred opium from the poppy fields of the Golden Triangle
Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia)
The Golden Triangle is one of Asia's two main illicit opium-producing areas. It is an area of around that overlaps the mountains of four countries of Southeast Asia: Burma, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Along with Afghanistan in the Golden Crescent and Pakistan, it has been one of the most...
to Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, ready to be exported. Trucks, planes, and boats which had been supplied to the police by the CIA, were instead used to move opium, which the police carefully guarded.
Downfall and exile
Phao lost power when Phibun was overthrown by Sarit Thanarat in 1957. He fled to SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where he died at the age of 50.