Realms of Memory

Victory monument is probably Bangkok's second most important landmark. Construction began on two months after Thailand's 'victory' over the French in their 1941 border war, and the site was dedicated on National Day (June 24) 1942. It is meant to represent the triumph of Thailand's modern army over a European nation (France was occupied by the Germans at the time) and symbolize Thailand's arrival as an emerging power in Asia. Most importantly, it celebrates the 1941 recovery of four provinces that France had taken away from Thailand years earlier to make part of French Indochina. Because of its important connections to nationalism and Thailand's confrontation with imperialism, it is an important part of my research.

Everything about the monument glorifies the military. The obelisk-like central pillar is actually five bayonets placed together. There are five bronze status surrounding the obelisk, representing the army, navy (the seaman pictured above is cradling his torpedo like a baby - odd) airforce, police, and civilian corps. The names of the servicemen who died during the conflict are written on the outside, and their bones are interred in small safety-deposit boxes within the monument.

As part of its reparations for joing the Axis during WWII, the Allies forced Thailand to give the four provinces back to French Indochina (they remain part of Laos and Cambodia to this day). The new government made every effort to denounce the fascist militarism of the war years, and Victory Monument became an embarassment to a nation trying to reconstruct a democracy.

Part of my dissertation will try to understand how perceptions of this monument have changed since the end of the war. Once Japan was defeated and the territories returned to France, the monument celebrated a hollow 'victory'. It became an uncomfortable and divisive reminder of a extreme era. In the late sixties there was even some talk of relocating the monument or tearing it down altogether. In my dissertation I will argue that the monument now functions solely as a memorial to the war dead - similar to the 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier' in western nations. It can not be undone because it honours soldiers who gave their lives in an otherwise meaningless conflict. A monument originally intended to commemorate the nation's greatest victory has evolved into a constant reminder of its greatest defeat.