Boonsanong Punyodyana (; ) was a Thai politician and General secretary of the Socialist Party of Thailand. He was assassinated on February 28, 1976.

Life and career

After graduating from

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

in 1959, Boonsanong worked for the Thai government, preparing English translations of official manuals. His skill in English and his familiarity with the Thai governmental structure gained him employment with the

United States Information Service The United States Information Agency (USIA) was a United States government agency devoted to propaganda which operated from 1953 to 1999. Previously existing United States Information Service (USIS) posts operating out of U.S. embassies wor ...

(USIS) in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

as a writer and researcher. In 1962, he won a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

-Hayes Scholarship to study for a master's degree in sociology at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

. After receiving the MA, Boonsanong returned to Thailand where he joined the staff of

Thammasat University Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...

as a lecturer in sociology. In 1967 he returned to the US and spent five productive years there. He completed a PhD in sociology at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, published several articles, spent a year at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and another year as a visiting professor at the

University of Hawaiʻi The University of Hawaiʻi System is a public college and university system in Hawaii. The system confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, ...

. Boonsanong had established himself as an internationally recognized scholar in his field by the time of his return to Thailand in 1972. Back at Thammasat University in June 1972, he immediately became one of the university's leading activists. He led student demonstrations at the US Embassy in Bangkok following the

Mayaguez incident The ''Mayaguez'' incident took place between Democratic Kampuchea, Kampuchea (now Cambodia) and the United States from 12 to 15 May 1975, less than a month after the Khmer Rouge took Fall of Phnom Penh, control of the capital Phnom Penh ousting ...

. He was heavily engaged: writing papers, attending meetings, carrying out research, organizing and lecturing to hundreds of committed young people. The student movement which was to overthrow the military dictatorship in the

1973 Thai popular uprising The popular uprising of 14 October 1973 (, , ; also , , ) was a watershed event in Thailand's History of Thailand, history. The uprising resulted in the end of the ruling military dictatorship of anti-communist Thanom Kittikachorn and altered the ...

was heating up and Thammasat was at its epicenter.

Works

*See "BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS BY BOONSANONG PUNYODYANA" *

Assassination

Boonsanong was killed by gunshot at about 01:30 on 28 February 1976. At the time of his death, he was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party of Thailand. It is thought that his death was politically motivated. His murderers were not apprehended. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

References

1936 births 1976 deaths Boonsanong Punyodyana Boonsanong Punyodyana Boonsanong Punyodyana Boonsanong Punyodyana Boonsanong Punyodyana Boonsanong Punyodyana Asian politicians assassinated in the 1970s Politicians assassinated in 1976 Boonsanong Punyodyana {{Thailand-bio-stub