In 1991, Thailand was enjoying its share of the new era after the cold war was over and the globalization was rising. The Thai economy was blooming and Thailand became one of the fastest growing countries in the world. I still remember when the government was so excited of being called as one of the new tigers from Asia. However, that was the beginning of the bubble economy that finally severely burst and burned the Thai economy in 1996.

Back then under the late PM- Chatchai Chunhawan, Thai government was plagued with heavy corruption. The level of corruption was so absurd that when the PM was asked if he knew that the members of his cabinet had corrupted billions of dollars out of the construction project, he told the reporters that he would not believe in that until someone gave him the receipt of that corruption.

Thai people, in particular, those middle class in Bangkok were so fed up with these shameless politicians. But they had no way to kick this corrupted government out. They were looking for a white knight to save our country.

One evening the same year, I just got out of my school concert. I noticed that there was no car on the street. Then I learned that the military had taken over the whole capital and declared the state of the emergency.

Finally the white knight came and rescued us. There was no resistance among Thai people; in stead they were welcoming the coup. However, human beings are always drunk in power. The head of the coup- Gen. Sujinda Kraprayoon broke his own pledge of returning the power to Thai people after the election. The civil war between the government controlled by the military led by Gen. Sujinda Kraprayoon and the civilians led by Chumlong Srimueng began after Gen.Sujinda deliberately appointed himself to be the next PM. The civil war went on for a month. Several protesters were slaughtered and the country succumbed to the turmoil.

It happened in May 1992 and with brutality of the military we always refer that incident as “The Black May.”

When the time was crucial and no one seemed to step back, the real white knight appeared. Our king summoned both side to his palace. It worked like magic. The next day, everything became normal like nothing ever happened. The street that was packed with hundreds of thousands of both sides the day before was empty the next day. Every group dissolved and suddenly the leaders from both sides appeared together on the TV and talked like they never had any conflict.

I still remember that picture on the TV the night the king invited both leaders to his palace. They were on both hands and knees sitting quietly in front of his majesty. The picture was all over the world and every country was amazed with our king charisma.

That incident has changed my life forever. It was the year that woke me up politically. When I think about that civil war, I feel deeply connected to it.

I was in grade 10th at the time but I participated in the demonstration. I created my self-made poster condemning the brutality of the military on the civilian and posted around my neighborhood even it was during the curfew. One time I saw the soldiers with the M16 patrolling on the motorcycle when I was trying to post my poster. Every day my blood was broiling and I cried whenever I read the news of the massacre.

When the civil was over, I paid a visit to the Rachadumnuen Road or so-called the Democracy Road because this is the epic center of every political struggle in Thailand. I saw the bullet marks and blood stain all over the wall.

I visited the exhibition about the incident a year after at one of the most important universities in Thailand- Thammasat University- in particular in term of the birth place of the political struggle towards the military. I knew right then that I had to get into this university and I did 3 years later.

At the exhibition, there was a quote by Albert Einstein that I still remember until today. He tried to wake up people moral courage by saying that this world is not dangerous because there are bad people, but in fact there are people who see those bad people doing the bad things but never try to do something to stop them.

It struck me to the head ever since.

Tae Athikomvittaya