the Communist Party of Malaya was based. In July 1969, nine CPT members were arrested, including a high-ranking Central Committee member. The arrests were presented by the government as a crucial victory over the party. 1970s: Peak From 1970 on, the People's Liberation Army of Thailand (PLAT) received significant logistical support from China and Vietnam. PLAT forces intensified their operations, including attacks on US Air Force bomber bases in the country. When Thailand and the People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations in 1975, an announcement on VOPT hailed this development. In the aftermath of the 6 October 1976 Massacre at Thammasat University and in the climate of increasing repression after the military take-over of the country, the CPT was able to expand its membership base. Many of the new recruits were students, workers, intellectuals, farmers or cadres of the Socialist Party of Thailand. More than 1,000 students joined the party, including most elected campus representatives throughout the country. A large section of the newly recruited members received political and military training in PLAT camps in Laos. Instructors were Thai, Lao, and Vietnamese. In many cases students accustomed to urban life had difficulties adapting to the harsh realities of guerrilla struggle, and thus the party decided to place many of them in villages rather in deep jungle. The new student recruits were divided into groups of five to ten, which were distributed along the approximately 250 "liberated villages" of the country. By 1977, the party had an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 armed fighters, and about a million sympathizers. Half of the provinces of the country were declared "communist infiltrated" by official Thai sources at the time. The entry of leftist intellectuals to the party strengthened its capability to pursue united front policies. Following the expansion of its membership, the CPT began to stretch out a hand to wider sections of Thai society for forming a broad democratic front. On 7 May 1977, the Socialist Party of Thailand (SPT) declared that it would cooperate in armed struggle with the CPT. On 2 July the two parties declared the formation of a united front. On 4 October, VOPT declared the formation of the Committee for Coordination of Patriotic and Democratic Forces on 28 September. The nine-member coordination committee consisted of Chairman: Udom Srisuwan (CPT Central Committee Member) Vice Chairman: Boonyen Wothong (SPT) Committee Member: Monkon Na Nakhon (CPT) Committee Member: Therdphum Chaidee