With the liberation of Saigon last year, it was clear that the Thai military hierarchy were merely biding their time. They had refuctantly accepted a period of democracy in 1973 and permitted free elections in the hope that the mass movement which led to the overthrow of the hated Field Marshal Kittikachorn could be contained. But their hopes were not fulfilled.
Far from being contained, throw of the dictatorship was followed by a massive rise in working class strikes, a growing maturation of the student movement, and a development of links between ine students and the Inal Communis Party, which has its base in the NorthEastern provinces of the country and fights an intermittent guerilla war agains the regime. So the generals sat back and plotted their return. But even their supporters in Washington will be a bit taken aback by the ferocity and savagery with which they carried out their plans. une over killed at this very were cut.' hated despot, and they didn't. As students occupied Thammasat University in protest, the plans were put into MOLOR Groups of right-wing thugs and soldiers attacked the university, lynched a few students, burnt others and danced around the flames laughing and screaming abuse.
Hundreds of students have been arres. ted and are no doubt being tortured and moment. Richard Nations, reporting from Bangkok in the Financial Times, wrote: 'Several students were ached w wire on trees mn the large square in front of the campus and their bodies beaten and spat upon. Others were beaten to a pulp as police stood by. Their bodies were then hit with sticks, their eyes gouged out and their throats sections of the masses will look to the armed bodies of men and women under te aiscipline or te anar er for answers to their predicament. The new coup has made Thailand the next 'domino'.
The attitude of the Indochinese states and the People's Republic of China will be of great importance. The Vietnamese have been extremely close to the Thai CP and their attitude is decisive as far as arms and food supplies are concerned. Radio Hanoi's broadcast on the new developments predicted that the Thai people would strike back. Chinese Whether or not the Chinese Govern. ment backs the guerillas remains to be seen. It will be an indication of the direction in which the post-Mao leader sto intenas to take nina Finally, all socialists will have to watch closely and see how the US administration will react. If US troops are sent back in after the elections, immediate mobilisamons will be required The murderers and butchers who seized power in Bangkok last week may not realise it yet, but the impact of their actions on world polities could well make this the most counter-productive coup d'etat in the history of imperialist-domi nated Thailand.
CHARLES HOWARD The new dictator, Admiral Sangad Chalawyu and organisations in the preparation and of a general strike to bring Other decisions taken by the congress were to fight for the strengthening of the workers commissions ang me consTud tion of a single trade union federation; to develop the struggle to build an indepen dent womens movement ane to move to the rapid creation of a federation of revolutionary communist youth.
These press conferences were also the occasion for the announcement of pubof the organisation who will act as its official spokespersons wille the organisation itset is torceo to remain semi-clandestine. Three militants were announced as repesentatives of the orean sation in cuskad!
Anton Carrera, 32, one of the accused in the Burgos trial, who has spent séven years in jail in Burgos. Segovia etc. fo his political activities.
Juanjo Sansebastian, 21, who works at a chemical plant in Vitoria and was a member of the representative commis sion which coordinated the general strike in vitora las maren — or waich ne was arrested and briefly imprisoned in Carabanchel jail Ramon Zallo. 28. a well-known econo mist who has been arrested twice and was brought to trial in 1969 Finally cerain noures on tne comoo sition of the organisation were given. In the course of the last twelve months, it nas nuica is memoersnio. rory-ve del cent of its militants are of working class origin and 60 per cent are wage workers Industrial workers represent 38 per cen and students zs per cent of the organisa tion. Women make up 32 per cent of the membership. The average age is 23 ine main orcan orine LCH Is com bate, a fortnightly which reaularly