Commissioned in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 coup d'état which led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in what was then the Kingdom of Siam, Democracy Monument sits in the middle of a large traffic circle on Ratchadamnoen Road, about half way between Sanam Luang and the Temple of the Golden Mount (Phu Kao Thong).

The symbolism of the monument is quite striking. The centerpiece of the monument is a carved representation of the 1932 Thai constitution, sitting atop two golden offering bowls on a round turret. Around the outer circle stand four wing like structures representing the four branches of the Thai Armed Forces which carried out the coup – the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the police. The four wing-like structures, along with the radius of the base, are all 24 meters in length, highlighting the date of the coup, June 24, while the central turret is three meters high, representing the month of June, the third month of the traditional Thai calendar. Originally 75 small canon sat around the outer ring of the monument representing the year 2475 in the Buddhist calendar, while the six gates of the turret represent the six proclaimed policies of the regime at the time – independence, internal peace, equality, freedom, economy, and education. Though relief sculptures at the base of the monument depict the armed forces as both the champions of democracy and the personification of the Thai people, they bear little resemblance to the true events of the time.

The fact is that the 1932 coup was executed almost bloodlessly by a small group of military officers and some civilian officials while the king, Rama VII, who later abdicated rather than accept a military dictatorship, was on holiday.

Though the military leader of the coup, Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram, otherwise called Phibun, saw the monument as being the Arc de Triomphe and Thanon Ratchadamnoen the Champs-Élysées of a new, Westernised Bangkok, the nationalistic policies of his government were far from Western friendly.

Under Phibun’s regime foreign-owned businesses were subjected to heavy taxes, occupations that were previously largely filled by Chinese became reserved for Thais, and Christians, whether Thai or other, along with Muslims, were officially discriminated against on the basis that only Buddhists could be true Thai patriots.

Despite the propaganda and the hypocrisy in erecting a monument to democracy in celebration of a military coup, Democracy Monument remains a potent symbol to Thais and has been the rallying point for numerous anti-government protests over the years.

Get me to travel tip: Pedestrian access to Democracy Monument can be difficult and dangerous due to the volume of vehicles transiting the traffic circle. The easiest way to get on to Democracy Monument for a close-up inspection is to grab a motorbike taxi and ask them to take you out to the monument and to bring you back.

Get me to travel insight: It was the Phibun regime in the late 30s that first encouraged Thais to emulate European fashions, decreeing, for example, that shoes and hats be worn in public and banning the chewing of betel

How to get to Democracy Monument, Bangkok: Democracy Monument is a short walk from Khao San Road and very convenient for people staying in the Rattanakosin area. People staying in other parts of the city can take the Chaophraya River Express boat to the Banglampuu Pier, walk through Chana Songkram temple and down Khao San Road. Make a left turn at the end of Thanon Khao San and a left again at Ratchadamnoen Road. A large number of Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) buses from various parts of the greater Bangkok area also transit Democracy Monument.