Historical context for Shine the series
In 1969, Thailand was under a military government led by Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, who was Prime Minister from 1963–1973. He is the successor of another dictator (Marshal Sarit). His regime was authoritarian, with no democratic elections, heavy censorship, royalist, conservative, and suppression of dissent.
His government has a strong alignment with the US, especially in the context of the Cold War+ the Vietnam War. Thailand allowed the US army to use Thai bases, making it a key anti-communist ally in Southeast Asia.
The political background at that time in my opinion, it's quite intense as the country was ruled by Military for decades (Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram 1938-1957, Sarit Thanarat 1959-1963, Thanom 1963-1973) and there's come a worldwide trend and a new waive in country - the scholars, university students and other left wing who're not happy about it. This's led to the big protest in Thai history led by university students called 14 October 1973 Uprising and 6 October 1976 Massacre to exile Marshal Thanom.
Thailand's art and music scenes were at a cultural crossroads — blending tradition with increasing Western influence due to political alliances and the Thai oversea students (like Dr. Trin) who came back home with the western education background.
Nowadays, we still pay homage to the historic events of the 14 October 1973 Uprising and the 6 October 1976 Massacre — especially at Thammasat University, where both took place. (Mile is an alumnus of the university.)* Thammasat served as the cradle of democracy during the 1973 uprising and became the site of brutal repression in 1976 — two defining moments in Thailand’s modern political history.
(*Kyuu separate note: you are an alum of an institution even if you don't graduate. Only Mile graduated but both he and Apo attended where they first met. Apo later transfered to another university where he graduated from.)
The founder of Thammasat University, Dr. Pridi Banomyong, was a professor, activist, politician, and senior statesman. He was one of the key leaders of the 1932 Siamese Revolution, which transformed Thailand from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. A recipient of a government scholarship, he studied in France, earning a master’s degree from the University of Caen and later a doctorate in law from the University of Paris in 1927.
Another imp historic figure is Dr. Puey Ungphakorn (1916–1999), a highly respected economist and technocrat who played a significant role in supporting democracy and the student movement in modern Thai history. He earned his PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics and served as Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Thammasat University (1964 - 1972), later becoming its Rector (1975-1976). Dr. Puey firmly opposed the use of violence against student protesters leading up to the 6 October 1976 Massacre. Following the tragic event, he resigned, was falsely accused of communist sympathies, and spent the rest of his life in exile in the UK. In 2015, UNESCO recognized him for his unwavering ethical leadership and moral integrity.
((I think these two, esp. Dr. Puay might be an inspiration of Dr. Trin character))
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