Major-General Luang Wichitwathakan (also known as just Wichit Wichitwathakan) (; ) (11 August 189831 March 1962) was a Thai politician, diplomat, historian, novelist, and playwright. He is credited with changing the name of the country from Siam to Thailand.
Luang Wichitwathakan was prominently engaged in politics and the modernization of Thailand and was in his time the most important figure in the establishment of Thai nationalism and Thai identity. He was the chief ideologue and creator of cultural campaigns during the pre-World War II military rule of Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram.
Early life
Wichitwathakan was born Kim Liang (Chinese: 金良), the son of a merchant in Uthai Thani province. According to a cousin, Wichitwathakan's paternal grandfather was Chinese.
He received his primary education in a Buddhist temple school in Uthai Thani and continued the Buddhist education at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok where he excelled in Buddhist studies, graduating first in the kingdom. As a result, he received the certificate from King Vajiravudh.
While still a monk in Wat Mahatat, Wichitwathakan's extensive writings were circulated among the monks. The papers were written in English, French, or German and were sometimes inflammatory regarding temple rules and regulations. The abbot put a stop to it by prohibiting the use of Western languages.
At the age of 20, Wichitwathakan left the monkhood and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a junior clerk in 1918.
Service in France
In 1921, Wichitwathakan was posted to the Royal Siamese Legation (equivalent to present-day embassy) in Paris, as Third Secretary. During his five years in Europe, Wichitwathakan served as a member of the Siamese delegation that attended and participated in deliberations of the League of Nations in Geneva. He also studied law and political science at the University of Paris. It was in Paris that he developed close friendships with the future revolutionaries, Pridi Phanomyong, also studying Law at Sorbonne, and Plaek Pibulsongkram, a military officer studying artillery in France.
Marriages
While in Paris, Wichitwathakan took French lessons from Lucienne Laffitte (née Guillaume), a cultivated French lady who was well-read and musically gifted. They subsequently married and together returned to Siam in 1927. While Wichitwathakan continued to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Madame Lucienne collaborated with him in several of his important historical publications, notably Prawatsart Sakon (Universal History). Despite this creative partnership and the births of a son and a daughter, the marriage dissolved six years later and Madame Lucienne returned to France with her two children. Luang Wichitwathakan subsequently married Prapapan Raphiphan, a teacher of history and daughter of Khun Vorasarndarunkit who was in charge of education in northern Siam under King Rama V.
Revolutionary role
When Pridi Phanomyong started the clandestine party called Khana Ratsadon (People's Party), he consulted with Thai friends in Paris, namely Field Marshal Pibulsongkram, Wichitwathakan, Prayoon Pamornmontri, and Thatsanai Mitraphakdi. Pridi specifically asked Wichitwathakan to join this secret association, whose purpose was to overthrow the absolute monarchy. Wichitwathakan at this point still maintained loyalty to King Prajadhipok and was in favor of a conciliatory approach with the monarchy. Concerned about the socialistic and communistic ideology of Pridi, Wichitwathakan formed a royalist and free enterprise party called Kana Chart (National Party) while continuing to attend the clandestine meetings of the Khana Ratsadon Party.
After his return to Siam, Wichitwathakan met again with Pridi and Pibulsongkram, but did not participate in the revolution against King Prajadhipok in 1932.
When King Prajadhipok indicated his willingness to support the armed royalist challenge to the People's Party and gave his blessing to Prince Bovoradej to mobilize his soldiers and attack Bangkok in 1933, Wichitwathakan forsook his loyalty to the king to align himself with the representative government as a member of the national assembly.