On November 17, 1971 Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, the prime minister of Thailand, carried out a self-coup against his own government, dissolving parliament, scrapping the 1968 constitution, banning political parties, and replacing the three-year parliamentary experiment with undisguised military rule. Thanom, who had dominated Thai politics through the 1960s, moved to end the messy parliamentary system and concentrate power in a military junta, the National Executive Council, headed by a triumvirate of himself, his deputy Field Marshal Praphat Charusathien, and his son Colonel Narong Kittikachorn, who was also Praphat's son-in-law. The junta suppressed opposition, but discontent mounted in universities and labor organizations and among rival military factions, fueled by resentment of the family dynasty, of official corruption, and of US and Japanese influence.
In December 1972 Thanom issued an interim constitution providing for a wholly appointed, military-dominated assembly, deepening the anger. The regime finally collapsed in the October 1973 popular uprising, when mass student demonstrations, and a deadly crackdown, led King Bhumibol to intervene and force Thanom into exile.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Thanom's own parliamentary government and the 1968 constitutional order, overturned by his November 17, 1971 self-coup; as an auto coup the sitting prime minister was the beneficiary, no one was physically harmed.
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Thanom Kittikachorn (prime minister who couped his own government)
Praphat Charusathien (deputy and triumvirate member)
In November 1971 Prime Minister Thanom executed a coup against his own government, ending the three-year experiment with parliamentary democracy, suspending the 1968 constitution, banning political parties, and imposing undisguised military rule, with executive and legislative authority held by a military junta, the National Executive Council.
SOURCE REVIEWEDGlobalSecurity.org, November 1971 Coupopen source ↗
Heading the National Executive Council was a triumvirate that included Thanom, who retained the office of prime minister, Field Marshal Praphat Charusathien, his deputy prime minister, and Thanom's son Narong Kittikachorn, an army colonel who was also Praphat's son-in-law, and despite stern moves to suppress opposition, popular dissatisfaction with the dictatorial regime mounted in universities, labor organizations, and rival military factions.
SOURCE REVIEWEDGlobalSecurity.org, November 1971 Coupopen source ↗
The discontent focused on United States support for Thanom, the growth of Japanese economic influence, and official corruption, and the civilian political elite joined students and workers in opposing Thanom's apparent aim to perpetuate a political dynasty through his son Narong, whose rise the officer corps particularly resented.
SOURCE REVIEWEDGlobalSecurity.org, November 1971 Coupopen source ↗
In December 1972 Thanom announced a new interim constitution providing for a totally appointed legislative assembly, two-thirds of whose members would be drawn from the military and police, a move that provoked widespread protest especially among students and led to Thanom's eventual removal in the October 1973 uprising, when troops opened fire on demonstrators and King Bhumibol took a direct role to end the crisis.
SOURCE REVIEWEDGlobalSecurity.org, November 1971 Coupopen source ↗
Editorial Note
Coding note: the dataset labels this an auto coup or self-coup because the sitting prime minister Thanom overturned the constitutional order (dissolved parliament, scrapped the 1968 constitution) to entrench military rule; the deposed party is his own parliamentary government and the constitutional order, and no one was physically harmed. Cast note: the self-coup entrenched the Thanom-Praphat-Narong triumvirate and the family dynasty resentment that fueled the opposition. Arc forward: the regime fell in the October 1973 popular uprising (a deadly crackdown followed by King Bhumibol's intervention and Thanom's exile), a later dataset event; Thanom's 1976 return sparked the Thammasat University massacre, also a separate later event. This is distinct from earlier Thai coups of the Sarit-Thanom era.
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Thanom's own parliamentary government and the 1968 constitutional order, overturned by his November 17, 1971 self-coup; as an auto coup the sitting prime minister was the beneficiary, no one was physically harmed..
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
“Thai Parliament Is Ended; Leaders Seize Full Power Citing’; Dangers’; toCountry, Than Om And Aides Abolish Constitution–Pledge To Maintain Foreign Policies Thailand Parliament Ended; Leaders Seize Power,” November 18, 1971
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →