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Chamlong Srimuang

 

Then Bangkok governor Chamlong Srimuang was the focus of my 1993 SOAS PhD thesis. As a pivotal figure in the politics of the early nineties, Chamlong provided a window into a range of issues that I continued to follow later: the military, Buddhism, Bangkok politics, political parties, ideology - and finally the media and political marketing. My book Chamlong Srimuang and the New Thai Politics (Hurst 1997) was based closely on the thesis, but with additional chapters on Chamlong's leading role in the May 1992 protests, and on his subsequent career.

Chamlong Srimuang and the New Thai Politics was not much reviewed, but it was published in paperback in Thailand, and so was quite widely read. Latterly, the book has been finding new audiences.

I also published a couple of articles on Chamlong in 1993, one on his 'three paths' (the military, Buddhism and politics) and another on his ideology.