20th-century Thai Army officer and politician

Chatichai Choonhavan ( Thai : ชาติชาย ชุณหะวัณ, RTGS : Chatchai Chunhawan, IPA : [ t͡ɕʰâːt.t͡ɕʰaːj t͡ɕʰun.hà.wan ] ; 5 April 1920 – 6 May 1998 ) was a Thai united states army officer, diplomat and politician. From 1986 to 1991, he was the chair of the Thai Nation Party and served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from August 1988 until the coup d’état of February 1991 .

syndicate [edit ]

Chatichai was the only son of Field Marshal Phin Choonhavan and Khunying Wibunlak Choonhavan. He was of Thai Chinese descent with ancestry from Chenghai District of Shantou City, Guangdong Province, China. [ 3 ] His father was the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army [ 4 ] from 1948 to 1954 and exerted a impregnable influence on the country ‘s politics and economy. Chatichai had four sisters. The firstborn was married to General Phao Siyanon, who was one of Thailand ‘s strongmen during the 1950s. Another sister married Pramarn Adireksarn, who by and by became Chatichai ‘s political ally. [ citation needed ] Chatichai married Boonruen Sopoj, a relative and confidante of Princess Mother Srinagarindra —the beget of kings Ananda Mahidol and Bhumibol Adulyadej. [ 5 ]

Chatichai and Boonruen had two children, daughter Wanee Hongpraphas, and their son political scientist, sociable activist, and former senator Kraisak Choonhavan. [ 6 ] The erstwhile deputy prime minister Korn Dapparansi is his nephew. [ 7 ]

department of education, military and diplomatic career [edit ]

Chatichai studied at Debsirin School, a long-standing, prestigious, all-boys school in Bangkok, and at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. He entered active military serve as second gear deputy and cavalry platoon leader in 1940. During World War II, he was assigned to the Phayap Army ( “ Northwest Army ” ), under the command of his forefather Phin, and participated in the invasion of the Shan States of Burma. After the war, he continued his discipline at the Thai Army Cavalry School and the United States Army Armor School in Fort Knox, Kentucky. [ citation needed ] In 1949, he was appointed military attaché in Washington, DC. [ 8 ] At the age of 31, Chatichai was a major-general. In 1951, the military, led by Chatichai ‘s father and his brother-in-law, Phao Siyanon, efficaciously assumed baron in Thailand in a “ silent coup “. They used their political determine to extend their activities to the economic celestial sphere. Chatichai served in the Korean War as the commander of the 1st Cavalry Battalion. then, he became conductor and commander of the Thai Army Armor School. In 1957, Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat —a equal of Chatichai ‘s father and brother-in-law—staged a coup d’etat d’état against the government of Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram. He ousted the Phin-Phao clique and filled the authoritative political and military posts with his own followers. [ citation needed ] The new government accused the Choonhavan kin ( besides known as the Soi Rajakru clan, after the family ‘s residency ) of having embezzled millions of dollars of public funds and hiding them in Swiss bank accounts. This ended Chatichai ‘s military career. [ 4 ] Chatichai was transferred to the diplomatic service and assigned to the relatively insignificant post of ambassador to Argentina. [ 4 ] During the following years he consecutively served as the Thai ambassador to Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, Yugoslavia, the Holy See [ 9 ] and the United Nations. In 1972, he returned to Bangkok to become the conductor of the Foreign Ministry ‘s political department. [ 10 ]

political career [edit ]

Chatichai in 1974 In the politics of Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, Chatichai was appointed deputy minister of foreign affairs in 1972. During the hostage-taking in the Israeli embassy by a terrorist commando of the palestinian Black September organization in December 1972, he and the Agriculture Minister Dawee Chullasapya negotiated with the terrorists. In switch over for the acquittance of the Israeli diplomats, they lent themselves as guarantees and accompanied the terrorists on their exemption flight to Cairo. [ 11 ] Chatichai continued as deputy foreign minister after the 1973 democratic arise, serving in the interim cabinet of Sanya Dharmasakti. In December 1973, one and a half years before Thailand formally established diplomatic relations with the People ‘s Republic of China, Chatichai and Dawee—who was then minister of defense —were the first Thai politics officials to visit Beijing. There, they negotiated a narrow for the provide of 50,000 tons of diesel vegetable oil at a “ friendship price ” and promised to remove trade barriers between the two nations. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] In 1974, Chatichai and his in-law Pramarn Adireksarn and Siri Siriyothin —also major generals—founded the conservative and aggressively anti-communist Thai Nation Party ( Chart Thai ). [ 14 ] It ran in the January 1975 general election, the first democratic election after the conclusion of military dictatorship, and became the third-strongest party. Chatichai was elected penis of fantan, representing a constituency in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The Thai Nation Party joined a government coalescence under Kukrit Pramoj. [ citation needed ] Chatichai served as minister of alien affairs from 17 March 1975 to 21 April 1976. [ 15 ] After the snap election in April 1976, in which the Thai Nation Party expanded its share of seats importantly, he was minister of industry in the government of Seni Pramoj until it was overthrown by a military coup d’état after the Thammasat University massacre of 6 October 1976. From 1980 to 1983, Chatichai served as diligence curate under Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda. After three years of resistance, the party returned to government and Chatichai was deputy flower curate under Prem. [ 10 ] [ failed verification ]

premiership [edit ]

The Thai Nation Party won the most votes in the 1988 Thai general election, resulting in Chatichai being appointed prime curate on 4 August 1988. This made him the first democratically elected head of politics after 12 years of dictatorship and “ semi-democracy ”. His government improved relations with communist-ruled Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, which had been Thailand ‘s enemies during the Cold War. It promoted external deal with these countries and others. Chatichai ‘s motto was to turn Indochina “ from a battlefield into a market ”. [ 16 ] It besides supported the Sihanouk -led Government of Cambodia. Chatichai ‘s government initiated many infrastructure projects, including an expansion of the telecommunication network in partnership with the state-owned Telephone Organization of Thailand ( TOT ), development of the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand, and road and rail networks in partnership with the Mass Rapid Transit Authority ( MRTA ) in the Greater Bangkok Area. During Chatichai ‘s premiership, Thailand ‘s economy saw annual emergence rates of up to 13 percentage. [ 9 ] [ failed verification ] Under Chatichai ‘s politics, there was rampant corruption. The parties and politicians in Chatichai ‘s coalition scrambled overtly over the distribution of populace funds. The Thai press dubbed them the “ snack bar cabinet ”, [ 17 ] referring to their “ take-what-you-like ” mentality. [ 18 ] Chatichai ‘s standard answer whenever he was confronted by the crush with difficulties or corruption allegations against members of his politics was “ no trouble ”. [ 9 ] A spoof variant, “ no plomplam ”, became the title of a popular song by folk rock ‘n’ roll singer Aed Carabao and entered Thai common parlance. [ 19 ] Chatichai was heavily criticised when he tried to downplay the price caused by Typhoon Gay, which resulted in 360 deaths, in the same way. [ 20 ]

The once rightist Thai Nation Party had de-ideologized itself and now represented the interests of the rising class of provincial businessmen. It pursued policies that boosted their businesses and involved them in lucrative politics contracts. It advocated a reinforcing stimulus of the function of parliament, in which politicians from the provinces were strongly represented, in contrast with the unelected power elites in the administration and military which had made political decisions during the tenure of Chatichai ‘s predecessor, Prem Tinsulanonda. Chatichai ‘s government emphasised the economic development of the periphery at the expense of Bangkok ‘s big businesses and military expenditures, which it tried to cut. [ 21 ] These policies challenged the state ‘s traditional elites. [ 22 ] [ failed verification ]

Disempowerment and return [edit ]

On 23 February 1991, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, General Sunthorn Kongsompong, and the generals of the Chulalongkorn Military Academy class 5, Suchinda Kraprayoon, Issarapong Noonpakdi, and Kaset Rojananil, formed the National Peace Keeping Council to depose Chatichai ‘s politics in a coup d’état. They accused the elective government of massive corruptness and abuse of baron for its own advantage. They charged several cabinet members, including Chatichai, with “ strange wealth ”. [ citation needed ] At the lapp time, they acted in the sake of the traditional elite of the bureaucracy, military and Bangkokian occupation circles, whose influence the Chatichai politics had sought to curtail. [ 23 ] [ 24 ] The coup group called the form of administration under Chatichai “ parliamentary dictatorship ” [ 25 ] and alleged a moral decay. [ 26 ] Chatichai temporarily went into expatriate in the United Kingdom. After his fall, he continued his political action. After the 1992 Black May, he founded the National Development Party and was again elected in his constituency in Nakhon Ratchasima. [ citation needed ]

personal life [edit ]

Chatichai was known for his affectionateness of cigars, ticket wines, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. [ 9 ] even in old age, he practised several sports and visit parties and discothèques, earning him a reputation of being a playboy. [ 27 ] [ 28 ]

end [edit ]

On 6 May 1998, at the long time of 78, Chatichai died from liver cancer in a hospital in London. [ 9 ]

Honours [edit ]

Foreign honours [edit ]

military rank and file [edit ]

Volunteer Defense Corps of Thailand rate [edit ]

References [edit ]