Abstract
After the event in October 14, 1973, the students, co-operated with the administrators of Mahidol University, arranged the seminar on “the Mahidol University Development Project.” The ideal of “personnel production to serve the disadvantaged people in the society” was made for the members of the Mahidol University Students’ Club(MUSC). The Mahidol United Party could win the election and the first Chairman of MUSC was the Medicine Student Weng ToeJirakarn. The students’ The students’ activities, formerly emphasizing on technical affairs, sports, music and voluntary camps, had been given more importance to the social and political activities of which the centre was established in the recreation building. In the 1974 academic year, the MUSC arranged the “edcation and development camp” which emphasized on the learning of social problems and the training to live with the villagers. In this year, a group of the Mahidol University students joined two projects which ran by the Government: the democratic dissemination and the aids to farmers. They could learn the problems of the landlords-capitalists’ oppression and exploitation against the farmers. Additionally, they could see the authoritative persons’ distortion, incrimination and serious suppression against the people. These encouraged their political alertness and they could understand the suffering of the grass-root people, untill the actively created theconsciousness of serving the people. The activites o fthe Mahidol University students which could enthusiastically support the struggle for equity of the people were those of the Nursing Unit for Mass (NUM), Which was developed from the small nursing unit in the 14 th October event, and those of the Labourers’ Band, the string-band for life. Both them were the most popular at that time. They played the important roles and always worked together on various stages. While the songs of the Labourers’ Band encouraged the fighters, the NUM also assisted in treatment for the persons who were threatened, hurt and injured. As to the students continually joined their activities outside the university, they were blamed as those who misunderstood of themselves, overdid their duties and neglected their classrooms. This caused more conceptual conflict among the students and the instructors administrators, as well as among themselves. Misunderstandings in various matters became more serious conflicts that the Dentistry Faculty students claimed against four of the administrators and instructors to quit, because the administration and the instruction were unsatisfactory. Finally, the students’ protest and strike were called for months. The “Rightists VS the Leftists” Movement had been brewing since the mid-year of 1974. Going out for activities in rural areas and the gatherings of the students were threatened. The labourers, the farmers and the student leaders were assassinated, including two student leaders- Mr. Preeda Chindanondh of the Labourers’ Band and Mr. Amares Chaisa-aad, Vice-Chaimam, the coordinator for outside activities of the Mahidol University Students’ Club (MUSC) and the Treasurer of the Students’ Centre of Thailand . During the years of 1975-1976, the situation was more serious. As the students with low experience made lower evaluation of the suppressive and authoritative persons in terms of the violence and the tactics, they also could not co-ordinate in the time of crisis. The suppressive blockade event in Thammasat University, in the early morning of October 6, 1976, consequently caused the great loss. The Nursing Unit for Mass, the Labourers’ Band and a part of the Mahidol University students as the safety guard unit held their responsibilities until the last second. In that event, five of them lost their livers. After the 6th October sanguinary conflict, many students were arrested and put into prison. The Coup d’Etat with the absolute right-wing policy seized power and Mr. Thanin Kraivichien was appointed Prime Minister. The leftists were heavily suppressed. The unsafety condition covered both the society and the universities in general. At that time the students’ movement separated into two parts. One part escaped into forest and took weapons to join the Communist Party of Thailand. While another part was still in city. Some hundred of the Mahidol University students scattered in the different sites in forest throughout the country. A majority of them acted as the forest military doctors who played the role in the medicine and public health development, in the forest-mountain areas. They produced alcohol, saline solution, anaestheitics, liniments and other medical products, by using the raw material in localities. They opened the medical training school for general doctors and doctor assistants. The medical school with special curriculum on surgery and general medical treatment was also established. The curriculum and the textbooks were written from what they learnt in the city. Those fellows as they called themselves “sa-hai” also learnt the acupuncture treatment from China and integrated such practice with the Thai traditional wisdom on herbs. Approximately in the year 1978, some of the Mahidol University students were sent for further education in medicine, pharmacology and veterinary in China. In city, though all of the students’ activities were forbidden, the movement was secretly carried to support their “sa-hai” in forest. The reproduction of the answer sheets of the entrance exam questions was sold for funding. They visited their fellows who were arrested in prison without fear of the State’s power. This matter brought perssure force to bear on the Governmen, both from inside and outside the country. Finally, the Coup d’ Etat was made, with more relief policy, by Gen. Kriangsak Chamanan. The Mahidol University students’ activities were revitalized with the emphasis on professional movement. They arranged the Mahidol Celebration’78 and went out to assist the flood victims in the Northeastern area, with the co-operation of 12 institutions. Later on in 1979, they gathered and formed into the Students’ Club of 18 institutions. Since 1978, the Government allowed for the set up of Students’ Club by the indirect election. The movement for the direct election of the Students’ Club, the appeal for the Students’ Council and that for the Students’ Party were made, and they could gain success in 1980. Afterwards, the Students’ Clubs of 181 institutions made more socio-political movements such as the protests on the anti-bus fee raise, on the anti-electric fee raise and on the Vietnam attacking Cambodia. At the same time, the movement of universal socialism was declined; with addition to the Government’s policy which allowed the students who escaped into forest to return to further their education. Many survivors of the Mahidol University students could consequently return to study once again. The growth of capitalism technology sent much effect to the overall changes. It could be said that the crisis of faith in the socialism ideal was the main cause against the weakness of the students’ movement. In 1984, the first-year Mahidol University students of all faculties had to move to Salaya, and most of the experienced key persons finished their education. The socio-political students’ activities gradually came to and end. The “recreation building.” The fostering centre for the Mahidol University activists was over. It could be said that the struggle for democracy of the students in that period of time has made a greater contribution to Thai society. It could foster the qualified personnel whose creative roles and movements could make progress to the medicine and public health in rural areas throughout the country up to now.
