Thai protest rocker 'Nga Caravan' celebrated at last

His band provided soundtrack for 1970s students fighting military government

Nga Surachai Chanthimathon, founder of legendary Thai protest rock band Caravan, performs during his 75th birthday concert at the Thailand Cultural Centre on May 7. (Photo by Yumi Kajiwara)

TOM VATER, Contributing writer

September 7, 2023 08:00 JST

BANGKOK -- "On Oct. 6, 1976, the darkest day in our history, Caravan played a concert in Khong Kaen. That's when we heard that the fascist Thai government was killing demonstrators in Bangkok. It was too dangerous to return to the capital. We fled into the jungle. We became fugitives," says Nga Surachai Chanthimathon.