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One line in the 1956 graduate yearbook of Chulalongkorn University reads a self-description
of a graduate registered with ID number 9759 that “he is a new hero of civil history who indefatigably
fights for peace, well-being and advancement of humanity.”

He was Chit Phumisak whose legend, though unsung for years after his death in 1966, was
perpetuated beyond his time. His name markedly emerged, indeed as a revolutionary hero, particularly
after the triumph in the 14 October 1973 anti-government student uprising.

Born to a low-rank civil servant family in 1930, Chit, originally named “Somchit”, was ex-
posed to politics since secondary school while staying and schooling at Pra Tabong. Particularly
interested in linguistics and etymology, he produced several outstanding unconventional academic
articles during his undergraduate years in the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. His first
publication was Art for Life that challenged social classification and inequality through art
criticism. The book was highly popular, especially after the 14 October 1973 student uprising. The
principle of the book was used to lead a fight against capitalism, American imperialism, tyranny
and the repressive regime of the then government, as well as romanticism among aristocrats. It later
became the heart of modern anti-government ideology among students, and influenced Thailand’s
revolutionary music movement.

Strongly left-wing, Chit was viewed as a thorn in the government’s flesh, especially since
October 1953, three years after he had entered Chulalongkorn University. He was an editor of the
university’s annual publication, which, in that year, contained a lot of articles written by student au-
thors that “had inappropriate information deliberately in defiance of the national leader’s policies.”
Thailand was then ruled by the military-led fascist government which took power in a coup d’état
on 8 November 1947. The regime was doing everything to win U.S. favor and support, including
revision in 1952 of anti-communism laws and arrest of those who had different political views—the
incident commonly known as the “Peace Rebellion”.

While making justification for his editorship, an unexpected incident happened—Chit was
thrown off the stage by opposition students. He spent four months in recovery and was later handed
over to the police under a charge of communist campaigning. He was declared innocent on 16 May
1955, only to be arrested again on three years later, one year after his graduation, under the same charge.

Spending six years in Ladyao jail, Chit continued to write wise and powerful articles criti-
cizing the ruling government headed by General Sarit Thanarat. As a liberal thinker, he founded a
self-supported commune, encouraging self-farming in the jail to better the well-being of the prisoners.

On 30 December 1964, Chit walked free from jail. Despite all the hardship he had been
through, he was determined to pursue his principle to revolutionalize society. He joined the jungle-
based Communist Party of Thailand in 1965 and was killed on 5 May of the following year in
Phu Pan mountain range. His death, while attempting to escape an army movement to “clean out”
communist supporters, went almost unnoticed.

Seven years later, Chit was reborn. Most of his work con-
veying “socialist ideals” was unearthed, and published. Leading
up to 14 October 1973, it inspired students who were brewing an
anti-government revolution in October 1973. Nowadays, the
Thailand Research Fund has selected three of his books to be
among the 100 ever recommended readers, making him the only
writer who has the most pieces of work recognized. Standing the
test of time, Chit has become legendary for his determination and
bravery to fight for the sake of the people.

Chit Phumisak
A Revolutionary
Hero Story: Weerasak Chansongsaeng

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