The Devil's Discus
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''The Devil's Discus'' is an investigation into the death of King
Ananda Mahidol Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั ...
(Rama VIII) of Siam (later
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
) by English-
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
n author
Rayne Kruger Charles Rayne Kruger (29 January 1922 – 21 December 2002) was a South African author and property developer. Charles Rayne Kruger was born on 29 January 1922 in Queenstown, in the Eastern Cape, the son of an unmarried 17-year-old daughter o ...
.


Book summary

The book comprises four main sections which are each further divided into chapters. The section "Before" serves as an introduction to King Ananda's death, to Siam and to King Ananda's background. The next section "The Life and Death of Ananda" is ten chapters in length and details the main events of King Ananda's life, from his birth in
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
in 1925 to his death by a single gunshot in mysterious circumstances at Bangkok's Royal Palace on 9 June 1946. This section introduces the main characters surrounding Ananda throughout his life and who subsequently become subjects for investigation following his death. The third section "The Trial" has eight chapters and summarises the events and arguments of the subsequent regicide trial against three Palace officials, including two appeals the trial lasted more than six years and resulted in the execution of all three defendants in 1955. The final section "Who Killed Ananda?" is Kruger's own analysis of the evidence surrounding Ananda's death, leading him to the conclusion that the only satisfactory explanation is suicide. He supports this theory with the revelation of a love affair between the young King and a fellow law student in Switzerland, Marylene Ferrari, a relationship which would not have been acceptable to Siam's royalist institutions.


Publication history

''The Devil's Discus'' was first published in 1964 by Cassell. The Thai government banned the book as soon as it was published and Kruger was banned from further entry to Thailand. A Thai translation of the book titled ''Kongchak Pisat'' (Thai: กงจักรปีศาจ) by Chalit Chaisithiwet (Thai: ร.อ.ชลิต ชัยสิทธิเวช) was produced for submission as evidence in a 1970 defamation lawsuit brought by
Pridi Banomyong Pridi Banomyong ( th, ปรีดี พนมยงค์, , ; 11 May 1900 – 2 May 1983), also known by his noble title Luang Praditmanutham ( th, หลวงประดิษฐ์มนูธรรม) was a Thai politician and professo ...
against MR
Kukrit Pramoj Mom Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj ( th, คึกฤทธิ์ ปราโมช, , ; 20 April 1911 – 9 October 1995) was a Thai politician, scholar and professor. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand 1973–1974. He was t ...
and his newspaper
Siam Rath ''Siam Rath'' ( th, สยามรัฐ, , ; lit.: 'Siamese State') is a Thai newspaper founded on 25 June 1950. It was one of the most politically influential newspapers during the latter half of the twentieth century, and was closely associat ...
. The translator was the elder brother of Pridi's secretary, Vacharachai Chaisithiwet. It was secretly published by two Thammasat students in 1974 and reprinted in 1977, and circulated behind closed doors in Thailand. A local printing house involved with this Thai edition was burnt down. This translation was eventually officially banned in May 2006. Through the organisation Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT), the English text was reprinted in November 2009 by DMP Publications, Hong Kong.


Critical discussion

In 2011, journalist
Andrew MacGregor Marshall Andrew MacGregor Marshall (born 25 March 1971) is a Scottish journalist and author, focusing mainly on human rights, conflict, politics and crime, mostly in Asia and the Middle East. A noted critic of the Thai monarchy and government, in June ...
published an online article in which he describes the genesis of ''The Devil's Discus:''THAILAND’S MOMENT OF TRUTH, A SECRET HISTORY OF 21ST CENTURY SIAM, #THAISTORY , PART THREE OF FOUR , VERSION 1.0 , 241011 http://www.zenjournalist.com "Krueger wrote it on the suggestion of Prince Subhasvasti, brother of Prajadhipok’s wife Queen Rambhai..... ubhasvasticame to trust and respect Pridi as a result of their wartime cooperation...... He believed – that Pridi did something to do with Ananda’s death. ''The Devil’s Discus'' was envisaged as a way of rehabilitating Pridi’s reputation in the hope that he would be able to return from exile and play a leading role in Thai politics once again." Marshall's view is that an explanation of Ananda's death is by Pridi, hence he goes on to say "Krueger’s book, published in 1964 after extensive research and considerable assistance from Subhasvasti, in his opinion had the purpose of demolishing the case against Pridi. The problem was that an alternative explanation for Ananda’s death had to be provided. And to conclude that Bhumibol was responsible was, of course, totally unacceptable to the royalist establishment – the book was supposed to enable détente between
Rama IX Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...
and Pridi, not to declare full-scale war. So Krueger had to find a way to discard the likeliest explanation – that Bhumibol shot his brother – and promote the only credible alternative conclusion, suicide."


See also

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Censorship in Thailand Censorship in Thailand involves the strict control of political news under successive governments, including by harassment and manipulation. Freedom of speech was guaranteed in 19971964 non-fiction books Cassell (publisher) books Censored books Non-fiction crime books Books about murder Censorship in Thailand