Chit Phumisak (also spelt Jit Poumisak; , ; 25 September 1930 – 5 May 1966) was a Thai Marxist historian, activist, author,

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

, poet, songwriter, and

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

. His most influential book was ''Chomna Sakdina Thai'', written in 1957 under the pseudonym Somsamai Sisutphan (สมสมัย ศรีศูทรพรรณ). Other pen names used by Chit include Kawi Kanmueang (กวีการเมือง) and Kawi Si Sayam (กวี ศรีสยาม). He has been described as the "

Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...

of Thailand".

Biography

Born into a poor family in Prachinburi Province, eastern Thailand, he studied

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

and

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It was as a student that Chit first became exposed to

Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...

; in 1953 he was hired by the U.S. embassy to help assist

William J. Gedney William J. Gedney (April 4, 1915November 14, 1999) was an American linguist notable for his work on Thai and related Tai languages. Life Gedney was born in Orchards, Washington, and spent his childhood there. He was the son of John Marshall G ...

, an American linguist working in Thailand, to translate ''

The Communist Manifesto ''The Communist Manifesto'' (), originally the ''Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (), is a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, commissioned by the Communist League and originally published in London in 1848. The ...

'' into Thai (in an attempt to scare the Thai government into taking a tougher stance against communism). His writings were anti-nationalist and progressive and were viewed as a threat to the state by the harshly anti-communist government of

Sarit Thanarat Sarit Thanarat (also spelled Dhanarajata; ; born Siri (); 16 June 1908 – 8 December 1963) was a Thai politician and military commander. He served as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (from 1954) and as Minister of Defense during ...

. He was arrested in 1957, branded a communist, and after six years in jail was declared not guilty by a court and set free. In 1965, he joined the

Communist Party of Thailand The Communist Party of Thailand ( Abrv: CPT; , ) was a communist party in Thailand active from 1942 until the 1990s. The CPT was founded officially on 1 December 1942, although communist activism in the country began as early as 1927. In the 1 ...

, headquartered in the jungles of the Phu Phan Mountains, in Sakhon Nakhon Province. On May 5, 1966 he was shot dead by government officials near the village Nong Kung in

Waritchaphum district Waritchaphum (, ; , ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the province of Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Sawang Daen Din, Phang Khon, Nikhom Nam Un, Wang Sam Mo of Udon Thani province, and S ...

. His body was burned and no proper ceremony for his death occurred until 1989, when his remains were finally placed in a

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

at the nearby

Wat A wat (, ; , ; , ; ; , ) is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State (Myanmar), Yunnan (China), the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Etymology The word ''wat'' is borrowed from the Sanskrit ''v ...

Prasittisangwon. Paul M. Handley, the author of ''

The King Never Smiles ''The King Never Smiles'' is an unauthorized biography of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) by Paul M. Handley, a freelance journalist who lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in Thailand. It is published by Yale University Press ...

'', states that Chit was executed by government officials near the Phu Phan mountains shortly after he was released from jail.Handley, Paul M. (2006),''The King Never Smiles.'' Yale University Press

Selected works

* โฉมหน้าศักดินาไทย (''Chomna Sakdina Thai''; "The Real Face of Thai Feudalism") * รวมบทกวีและงานวิจารณ์ศิลปวรรณคดีของกวีการเมือง (''Ruam botkawi lae ngan wichan sinlapa wannakhadi khong Kawi Kanmueang''; "Collected Poems and Literary Reviews by 'Political Poet'"), under pseudonym "Kawi Kanmueang" * ความเป็นมาของคำสยาม ไทย, ลาว และขอม และลักษณะทางสังคมของชื่อชนชาติ (''Khwampenma khong kham Sayam Thai Lao lae Khom lae laksana thangsangkhom khong chue chonchat''; "Etymology of the terms Siam, Thai, Lao, and Khom, and the Social Characteristics of Demonyms") * ตำนานนครวัด ("Tamnan nakhon wat"; "The History of Angkor Wat") * เพลง "แสงดาวแห่งศรัทธา" ("Phleng Saengdao Haeng Sattha"; "Song of the Stars of Faith") * เพลง "ภูพานปฏิวัติ" ("Phleng Phuphan Patiwat"; "Song of the Revolution of Phuphan")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phumisak, Chit Chit Phumisak 1930 births 1966 deaths Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak 20th-century linguists Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Chit Phumisak Anti-nationalists 20th-century philosophers

Biography

Selected works

Further reading

References