The quest for an "equal and just society" ignited by a student movement that culminated in the Oct 6, 1976 bloodshed must be carried on by younger generations amid ideological differences among people who experienced the turmoil and the government's reluctance to open a discussion, say student activists.
The quest for social justice and defiance against authoritarianism that defined the 1973-1976 movement must be continued under the current dictatorial regime, they say.
Commemorations to remember the victims have often been called "reunions for the dead", but efforts to muster a spirit of defiance against authoritarianism and state violence have met with little success in recent years, said Chulalongkorn University political science professor Surachart Bamrungsuk.
"The 40th anniversary should not be a celebration by an older generation full of bitterness and ideological rifts. It should rather be the time for younger generations to be more engaged and involved in carrying on this fighting spirit," said Mr Surachart, a former student leader jailed for two years after the deadly crackdown at Thammasat University 40 years ago.
"It's probably the first time that October 6 will be talked about by the non-October Generation," said Mr Surachart, now 61, about Thursday's commemoration being staged at his faculty.
The young speakers include Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong of the youth-led Umbrella Movement.
As years have passed, society has become more open and the brutality of the massacre had been discussed more in public while the scale of the commemorations have become bigger. The 20th anniversary in 1996 saw the first large-scale commemoration, thanks to the anti-military protests that led to the May 1992 massacre, said Vipar Daomanee, a former Chulalongkorn University student activist and a passionate October Generation member.
The death of former Thammasat rector Puey Ungphakorn, three years after the 20th anniversary, was also a major motivation behind large-scale commemorations in 1999, she said.
The Historical Wall sculpture project inside the university campus, depicting the horror of the Oct 6 brutality, was mounted the following year, said the 60-year-old Ms Vipar.
The 25th commemoration of Oct 6, 1976 was also significant as it coincided with the big commemorations of the Oct 14, 1973 uprising. Thaksin Shinawatra was a popular prime minister at the time and several of his cabinet members were from the October Generation, she added.
From the 34th commemorations of Oct 6, 1976 onwards, a phase of mass participation began. "The red-shirted people filled the university auditorium en masse. More cultural themes and dramas appeared to mark the event," said Ms Vipar.
The 37th anniversary was also a big event as it was merged with the 40th commemoration of the 1973 uprising.
But anniversaries since have been marred by corruption scandals and lese majeste lawsuits. Two dramatists involved in the Bridal Wolf play staged on the night of Oct 6, 2013 were convicted of lese majeste while the chairman of the event's organising committee Jaran Ditapichai and a few others had to seek asylum abroad following the May 22, 2014 coup.
The sombre commemorations of the last few years are likely to be brushed aside this year with young students wanting to express themselves and stamp their own mark on the struggle for democracy and justice. Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, a Chulalongkorn University political science freshman, says students should start doing things without fear.
"It's a struggle that we -- the new generation -- have yet to take up and fight for in a new meaningful way. Having just a monument or statue may not be enough to have society see [the massacre] as an important part of history and intertwined with the nation's future," said Mr Netiwit.
The 20-year-old said the millennial generation should ensure these political struggles remain alive and achievable. "That's why we need a modern-day inspiration such as Joshua Wong to talk to the young generation.''
Sombat Boon-ngamanong, 48, a well-known junta opponent, agreed youth had to apply their own interpretation of the protest and be inspired by history. "We need to look at what happened back then and not see it as a day of despair and loss. We must look at it as a day when the hopes and aspirations of many were sown and are still growing," he said.
Marking the 40th anniversary of the tragic protest, this article is the second in a series of three.
