Buddhist monks opened an emotionally charged commemoration at dawn on Thursday, the 40th anniversary of a massacre of student protesters at Thammasat University, as survivors reflected on a battle for democracy that appears lost in junta-run Thailand.
The killings of Oct 6, 1976 marked a nadir in the kingdom's blood-splattered recent history.
At least 46 student students were shot, beaten to death or hanged from trees after they massed at Thammasat University in protest at the return from forced exile of hated military dictator Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn. (continues below)
Activists place flowers at the Sclupture Garden at Thammasat University, after a candle-light ceremony. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)
Survivors say the true death toll was at least twice as high, with thousands more arrested or forced into hiding.
Fearing a leftist rebellion in a region where many countries had become communist, security forces - flanked by royalist armed militias - ruthlessly cracked down on the students.
No state apology has ever been issued and no officials have been held to account for the deaths - a reflection, critics say, of a culture of impunity for the military that endures to this day.
At dawn on Thursday survivors gathered under heavy drizzle around a permanent memorial at the university's entrance, where the assault began.
Some held candles, others wore T-shirts with the slogan "I think therefore I am dead" featuring a hanged man - a reference to the lynching of students who were strung from trees near the campus. (continues below)