Communist insurgency in Thailand

Communist insurgency in Thailand
Part of the Cold War

A zinc bowl engraved with Thai message reading "Obliterate all the communists – out of the soil of Thailand" – a propaganda tool against communist insurgency in Thailand, discovered in Wanon Niwat district, Sakon Nakhon province
Date1965–1983
(18 years)
Location
Thailand (primarily northeast Thailand)
Result

Thai government victory

  • Amnesty declared on 23 April 1980 by the Thai government
  • Order 66/2523 signed by Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda
  • Communist insurgency declines and ends in 1983
Belligerents

 Thailand

 Taiwan (until July 1967)

 Malaysia[2][3]

 United States[4]
Commanders and leaders
Strength
Royal Thai Armed Forces: 127,700
Royal Thai Police: 45,800[4]		 1,000–12,000 rebels
5,000–8,000 sympathizers[6][10]
Casualties and losses
1966:[11]
~90 soldiers and police killed
1967:[12]
33 soldiers and police killed
1969–1971:[10][11]
1,450+ soldiers, police, and officials killed
100+ wounded
1972:[12]
418 soldiers and police killed		 1966:[10]
133 insurgents killed and 49 captured[13]
1967:[12]
93 insurgents killed
unknown captured
1969–1971:[10][11]
365+ insurgents killed
30+ wounded
49+ captured
1972:[12]
1,172 insurgents killed[12]
1982:[12]
Unknown killed
3,000+ insurgents surrendered
Unknown civilian deaths (3,008 killed by government forces alone in 1971–1973)[14]

The communist insurgency in Thailand was a guerrilla war lasting from 1965 until 1983, fought mainly between the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) and the government of Thailand. The war began to wind down in 1980 following the declaration of an amnesty, and in 1983, the CPT abandoned the insurgency entirely, ending the conflict.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NiN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Chin Peng, pp.479–80
  3. ^ NIE report
  4. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference CIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Sison, Jose Maria. "Notes on People's War in Southeast Asia" Archived 2007-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AUK was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "70 ปี 'องค์จอมทัพไทย' พระราชกรณียกิจ รัชกาลที่ 9 ด้านการทหาร". October 21, 2017. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  8. ^ "ในหลวงรัชกาลที่ 9 หยุดคอมมิวนิสต์ ด้วยพระเมตตา". ThaiQuote. December 5, 2020. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "กุศโลบาย ร.9 เสด็จฯ เยือนชาติตะวันตก ไทยเป็น "กันชน" ยุคสงครามเย็น". Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  10. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Koplo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference MCA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b c d e f Prizzia, Ross (1985) "Thailand in Transition: The Role of Oppositional Forces" (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press), 19–20, 24.
  13. ^ Note: these are figures for Dec. 25 1965 to Jan. 16 1967. The total number of suspects "arrested or surrendered" in this time was 3,450, but only 49 were convicted, with the rest being listed as "released" or "under investigation." See page 9.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jularat101 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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