Award winning Thai author and journalist dies
An award winning Thai author who fled Thailand in 2014 has passed away in France due to health reasons, according to his daughter. The author, Wat Wallayangkoon, wrote the novel Transitor Love Story, which was adapted into a film in 2001. The story is about a rural man who dreams of becoming a singer. Wat won a prestigious Thai award in 2007.
Wat became well known in 1976 when Thailand was in the middle of a political uprising. After the infamous Thammasat Massacre, when police and Right Wing groups killed at least 46 activists and students, Wat fled Bangkok and hid in a forest. There, he wrote stories, novels, and poems.
Wat was charged with lese majeste after Thailand’s 2014 coup. He fled to Cambodia and Laos. He moved to France in 2019.
Wat’s daughter, Wajana, announced in a Facebook post yesterday that Wat died on Monday due to being “seriously ill” without specifying what condition he had. Wajana said it was hard to be her father’s daughter because he had to flee Thailand. Yet, she said she couldn’t imagine life without her father.
“It wasn’t that hard because of my father. It’s hard because this country is where people like my father can’t live”.
Wat was 67 years old when he passed away. In addition to being an author, he also worked as a journalist.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post | IMDB | TIME
