Thai Peace Day, or Wan Santiphap Thai (วันสันติภาพไทย), was first established in 1995 to commemorate the end of hostilities in World War II—50 years after the end of the War itself. The day carries special meaning for the families descended from the underground resistance movement as well as from the many other casualties of WWII.
The Free Thai Movement
“The Seri Thai movement is a story of incredible courage.”
Gwen Cardno
Chargé D’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok
Commemoration of Seri Thai Movement, September 2, 2022
On August 8th, 1941, Thailand was invaded by the Empire of Japan and pressured into declaring war on the United States and Great Britain.
However, then-Thai ambassador to the United States Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj refused to do so. Instead, with U.S. support, Seni organized a large-scale resistance movement which came to be known as the Free Thai (Seri Thai) Movement. This guerrilla movement bravely fought Japanese troops until the end of the war to liberate the Thai people.
Fifty years after the end of the war in 1945, the Council of Ministers of Thailand officially established Thai Peace Day. The date itself, August 16th, marks one day after the announcement of Japan’s surrender.
Diplomatic significance
Since its declaration in 1995, Thai Peace Day has become a significant diplomatic event commemorated by Thailand’s government as well as the historians of Thailand’s academic institutions.
Notably, Thammasat University hosted Thai Peace Day 2024 commemorating the 79th anniversary of the Seri Thai Movement at its Tha Prachan campus. The event involved laying flowers at the Seri Thai Sculpture attended by ambassadors and representatives from 16 embassies, Thammasat University administrators, and distinguished guests. Following the ceremony, an academic forum on “Lessons learned from two decades of Southern Insurgency: A Pathway to Peace” was held at the Sriburapha Auditorium, featuring keynotes and discussions by experts in human rights and peace studies.
Memorial ceremonies are hosted throughout the nation, often attended by government officials, parliamentarians, and diplomats, especially of Allied countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
World War II legacy
In Bangkok, local residents and travelers alike can enjoy the Seri Thai Garden, formerly known as the Bueng Kum Water Park. This nine-hectare public park in Bueng Kum district of Bangkok had been restored as a flood control reservoir in 1985 and later expanded into a forest park. The park was renamed in commemoration of the Seri Thai Movement and officially reopened as “Suan Seri Thai (Seri Thai Garden)” on Thai Peace Day, August 16th, 1997.
The park also contains the Seri Thai Memorial Building, which houses the Seri Thai Memorial Museum, youth library, and BuengKum Water Park Museum. Aside from the park, there is also Seri Thai Road, named in honor of the resistance movement.
Kanchanaburi province, which also hosts River Kwai Bridge Week, has several World War II memorials, due in part to the construction of the Siam-Burma Railway by Allied prisoners of war and civilian forced labor. On Thai Peace Day, visitors may see the Art Gallery and War Museum, Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, JEATH War Museum, and Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.