The Thai nation (chat Thai) of ours has been a large and important nation since ancient times. Most of the Thai race (Chat Thai)Chon have lived in this country for 600 years. We have often had to face crises and danger our ancestors attempted to protect and develop our country up to the present time. Even though the Thai nation is independent it has not always been strong and we have suffered. In the past eighty years we have lost up to half of our territory and had our freedom restricted in many ways. Seven
to eight years ago the country was in a precarious position on armed forces were weak, the economy was disintegrating and the people were in need, The wealth the nation was being wasted and progress was dreadfully slow The government ruled the people like a master rules a slave Then on 24 June 1932 a group of military men and civilians joined forces and changed the administration of the country The following section of the text went on to catalogue what were deemed to be the major activities of the new government in the seven- year period since il had taken power First and foremost, it was noted that the new rulers had dramatically improved Thailand's military capacity not only by equipping the various services with modern weaponry but also by developing a military preparedness in the country's youth through the Yuupachon movement. Other areas in which notable advances were claimed included education, health, law enforce ment, and agriculture. Mention was also made of the government implementation of a more equitable tax system and its success in reducing the country's foreign debt. Apart from this, strong emphasis was given to the state's nationalist economic policy, which was aimed at fostering greater self. Reliance and prosperity through the promotion of local industrial enterprise and household commercial activity. In the final section of the text it was claimed that these initiatives had won Thailand the respect and admiration of the international community. This new found stature, it was further claimed, enabled the government to negotiate a series of new treaties with the foreign powers in 1937 which abolished existing restrictions on Thai sovereignty. As a result, the “nation" became fully independent for the first time since the mid-nineteenth century. In contrast to this development, it was asserted that, "had there been no change in the administration [the] country would have ceased to exist"; that is, continued royalist rule would have led to the end of Thai independence. In conclusion, the text reiterated the benefits wrought by the new regime and it ended with the following words: "Let all you students remember 24 June as an auspicious occasion which brought progress and happiness to the Thai people" A summary analysis of the announcement reveals it to be a lancing- acting combination of truth, partial truth and outright falsehood. Various claims in the text are indisputable. For example, the new administration did effect a substantial boost to the country's military capacity and greatly expanded the education system, most noticeably in the sphere