Thread on Thailand for Non Thai Marxist Leninists :
Thailand was never colonized by Europe. Because of this, many Thai people saw the monarchy as a shield and hero against western imperialism and colonization.

While Việt Nam, Lao PDR, and Cambodia had to fight vicious wars to gain independence, this was not the case for Thailand. In fact, Thailand had even won wars against some European powers on territorial disputes, and saw them as “equal” to the European empires.

From WW1, to WW2, Thailand survived fairly well, choosing and switching between the winning sides. While most of Asia was destroyed during ww2 and faced the most horrific forms of imperialist brutality, Thailand had temporarily expanded borders.

The world events of Japanese imperialism, and European colonization drastically shaped the politics of other Asian countries. China ended a feudal system, and the inability of the Qing dynasty to defend China contributed to these events.

Thailand did not resent the west as much as their Asian neighbors, because Thai society did not face colonized struggle. But Thailand was still a feudal system. The Thai peasants would always suffer while the monarchy was “protecting” Thailand.

During the Cold War, Việt Nam, Lao PDR, and Cambodia ended monarchy and feudal ruling. The “Indochinese” peoples faced the worst forms of imperialism and exploitation, and realized the need for a socialist state. The monarchies were a complete failure to protect the people.

With the spread of communism, the Thai nationalists and royalist who did not see the effects of western imperialism and colonization, saw communism as a new threat to Thai society. The monarchy was already “protecting” Thailand from outside threats.

The CIA took advantage of this, and helped prop up and build Thailand’s military power. Thailand would then become a weapon against southeast Asian liberation, by participating in the suppression of communist movements in Việt Nam, Lao PDR, and Cambodia.

The Thai peasants would become radicalized and inspired by the change occurring in their neighboring countries. The Thai government would soon be fighting against Thai communists in northeast and south Thailand (peasant strongholds). But the fighting will not be as intense.

The Thai communists (CPT) would soon have to endure the Sino Soviet split. The Soviet Union refused to help the CPT. The CPT then called the Soviet Union as a revisionist power. This caused the Soviet aligned communists in Lao PDR and Việt Nam to decrease their support.

The CPT was mostly based in the countryside, and lacked city connections and operations, eventually other movements in the city would form separately, usually looking to “democracy” as the answer. The Thai military with US support would crack down on Thai leftists.

The CPT was heavily and extremely reliant on foreign support. Without help from neighboring socials states, the CPR suffered. Because of the Sino Soviet split, the PRC was the biggest aid to the CPT.

Later on after the Vietnamese involvement in Cambodia to topple the Khmer Rouge, the Thai government came into conflict with Việt Nam. The PRC opposed Vietnamese involvement in Cambodia, and the Thai government saw it as a new wave of communist expansion.

The PRC, one of the last remaining socialist states to support the CPT, would cut off the CPT’s radio and support, while offering diplomatic support to the Thai government.

With the dissolution of the USSR, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of many socialist republics, the Thai communists surrendered to the Thai government, usually being awarded for doing so. Some created NGOs while others began to participate in electoral politics.

Today, there are protests against the Thai government, a clear legacy of US imperialism and Cold War politics. The Thai government is not pro China or pro US. It is simply a bourgeoisie state taking advantage of some socialist state’s policy of non interference.

While Marxist Leninism, establishing a socialist state, and communism are important pillars for liberation, Thai leftists and peasants are ignored and shunned by the international proletariat.

I see some self proclaimed Marxist Leninists defending the Thai monarchy and military police because of reactionary ideas within the new movements. It’s better to radicalize the people, and pull away from co opts, rather than blatantly supporting the oppressive state.