Editing Plaek Phibunsongkhram (section)

===Second premiership===
[[File:PPS 2.JPG|thumb|right|Plaek Phibunsongkhram at [[Hyde Park, New York]], 1955]]
[[File:Phibun 1947.jpg|thumb|right|Phibun coming back to Thai politics, led the junta in 1947 after the coup]]

{{unreferenced section|date=December 2011}}
In November 1947, Royal Thai Army units under the control of Phibun known as the [[1947 Coup Group (Thailand)|Coup Group]] carried out the [[1947 Thai coup d'état]] which forced then-Prime Minister [[Thawan Thamrongnawasawat]] to resign. The rebels installed [[Khuang Aphaiwong]] again as prime minister as the military coup risked international disapproval. Pridi Phanomyong was persecuted but was aided by British and US intelligence officers, and thus managed to escape the country. On 8 April 1948, Phibun assumed the position of Prime Minister after the military forced Khuang out of office.

Phibun's second premiership was notably different, abandoning the fascist styling and rhetoric that characterised his first premiership, and instead promoted a façade of democracy. The beginning of the [[Cold War]] saw Phibun align Thailand with the [[anti-communist]] camp.

Phibun supported UN action in the [[Korean War]] and dispatched an expeditionary force of 4,000 troops.<ref name="brit" />  and received large quantities of US aid following Thailand's entry into the [[Korean War]] as part of the [[United Nations Command]]'s multi-national allied force against the [[communist]] forces of [[North Korea]] and the People's Republic of China.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} Phibun's anti-Chinese campaign was resumed, with the government restricting Chinese immigration and undertaking various measures to restrict economic domination of the Thai market by those of Chinese descent. Chinese schools and associations were once again shut down. Despite open pro-Western and anti-Chinese policies, in the late 1950s Phibun arranged to send two of the children of [[Sang Phathanothai]], his closest advisor, to China with the intention of establishing a backdoor channel for dialogue between China and Thailand. [[Sirin Phathanothai]], aged eight, and her brother, aged twelve, were sent to be brought up under the assistants of Premier [[Zhou Enlai]] as his [[Ward (law)|wards]]. Sirin later wrote ''[[The Dragon's Pearl]]'', an autobiography telling her experiences growing up in the 1950s and 1960s among the leaders of China.

Phibun was reportedly thrilled by the democracy and [[freedom of speech]] he had witnessed during a long trip abroad to the United States and Europe in 1955. Following the example of [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] in London, he set up a "[[Speakers' Corner]]" at the [[Sanam Luang]] in Bangkok. Phibun began to democratize Thailand by allowing the formation of new political parties, [[amnesty|amnestied]] political opponents, and planned [[free elections]]. Phibun founded and became chairman of his own new political party, the [[Seri Manangkhasila Party]], which was dominated by the most influential in the military and the government. The Employment Act of January 1957 legalized trade unions, limited weekly working hours, regulated holidays and [[overtime]], and instituted health and safety regulations. The [[International Workers' Day]] became a public holiday.

====Power play====
{{multiple image
 | caption_align = center
 | header    = Thai Triumvirate, 1947–1957
 | footer = The other is Phibunsongkhram.
 | align     = left
 | width     = 120
 | image2    = Official portraits of Sarit Thanarat.jpg
 | caption2  = Field Marshal<br />[[Sarit Thanarat]]
 | image3    = Police General Phao Siyanon Portrait.png
 | caption3  = Police Gen.<br />[[Phao Siyanon]]
}}

Phibun's second premiership was longer but plagued with [[political instability]], and there were numerous attempts to oppose his rule and remove him from power. Unlike his first premiership, Phibun faced noticeable opposition from people connected to the Free Thai Movement due to his alliance with the Japanese, including from within the military. Additionally, Phibun was indebted to the powerful Coup Group that had returned him to power.

On 1 October 1948, the unsuccessful [[Army General Staff Plot]] was launched by members of the army general staff to topple his government, but failed when discovered by the Coup Group. As a result, more than fifty army and reserve officers and several prominent supporters of Pridi Phanomyong were arrested.

On 26 February 1949, the [[Palace Rebellion]] was another failed coup attempt against Phibun to restore Pridi Phanomyong by occupying the [[Grand Palace]] in Bangkok and declaring a new government led by [[Direk Jayanama]], a close associate of Pridi. The civilian rebels were quickly ousted from the palace, but fighting broke out between military rebels and loyalists which lasted for over a week.

On 29 June 1951, Phibun was attending a ceremony aboard the ''[[Manhattan Rebellion|Manhattan]]'', a US [[dredge boat]], when he was taken [[hostage]] by a group of [[Royal Thai Navy]] officers, who then quickly confined him aboard the warship ''Sri Ayutthaya''. Negotiations between the government and the coup organizers swiftly broke down, leading to violent street fighting in Bangkok between the navy and the army, which was supported by the [[Royal Thai Air Force]]. Phibun was able to escape and swim back to shore when the ''Sri Ayutthaya'' was bombed by the air force, and with their hostage gone, the navy were forced to lay down their arms.

{{Quote box|width=25%| "...tell your father [Pridi] that I want [him] to come back [and] help me work for the nation. I alone can no longer contest Sakdina."<ref name="สมศักดิ์"/>|Plaek to one of Pridi's sons in June 1957. }}

On 29 November 1951, the [[Silent Coup (Thailand)|Silent Coup]] was staged by the Coup Group and it consolidated the military's hold on the country. It reinstated the [[Constitution of Thailand#1932 constitution|Constitution of 1932]], which effectively eliminated the [[Senate of Thailand|Senate]], established a [[unicameral legislature]] composed equally of elected and government-appointed members, and allowed serving military officers to supplement their commands with important [[Minister (government)|ministerial portfolios]].

In 1954 Phibun allied Thailand further with the West in the [[Cold War]] by helping establish [[SEATO]].<ref name="brit" />

In 1956, it became clearer that Plaek, allied to Phao, was losing to another influential group led by Sarit which consisted of "Sakdina" (royalties and royalists). Both Plaek and Phao intended to bring home [[Pridi Banomyong]] to clear his name from the mystery around the death of King Rama VIII. However, the US government disapproved, and they cancelled the plan.<ref name="สมศักดิ์">{{Cite web|url=https://prachatai.com/journal/2010/10/31599|title=สมศักดิ์ เจียมธีรสกุล: พูนศุข พนมยงค์ ให้สัมภาษณ์กรณีสวรรคต พฤษภาคม 2500|website=prachatai.com}}</ref>