Apirak Kosayodhin
Apirak Kosayodhin ( Thai : อภิรักษ์ โก ษะ โยธิน ; born March 30, 1961 in Pak Kret , Nonthaburi Province ) is a Thai manager and politician of the Democratic Party . From November 2004 to November 2008 he was the 14th governor of Bangkok .
Education and professional career
Apirak studied nutrition science and food technology at Chiang Mai University . He completed a Master of Business Administration degree at the National Institute of Development Administration . One of his college friends was Yongyuth Tiyapairat , who later became a Thai-Rak-Thai party politician and confidante of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra .
He began his working life at the system catering chain Pizza Hut . He later worked for the PepsiCo group and its subsidiary Frito-Lay , which produces potato chips , and headed its Thai branch from 1994 to 2000. In 1997 he took a course in the Advanced Management Program at the American Harvard Business School . He then moved to the entertainment media and music company GMM Grammy , where he became its president and chief executive officer. From 2002 to 2004 he was one of the managing directors of the mobile operator TA Orange (now True move ).
Political activity
In 2004 Apirak switched to politics and ran for the Democratic Party in the Bangkok gubernatorial election. He won with 38.2%, the non-partisan Pavena Hongsakul, supported by the Thai-Rak-Thai party , only got 26%. He then headed, as the successor to Samak Sundaravej , who was no longer running, the self-governing authority of the Thai capital (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, BMA). After a four-year term in office, he was confirmed in office by the People's Power Party in October 2008 with 45.9% versus 25.2% for Prapas Chongsanguan .
However, he resigned just a month later after the National Anti-Corruption Commission opened a case against him. This related to the order of 315 fire engines and 30 boats for the Bangkok fire brigade from Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug AG (meanwhile General Dynamics European Land Systems ). The deal had been initiated under the previous administration of the former governor (and later prime minister) Samak Sundaravej with significant participation of the then head of the disaster control and relief department Athilak Tanchukiat and the then deputy interior minister of Thailand Pracha Maleenond . Samak had signed the contract on his last day in office, and after taking office, Apirak issued the guarantee without knowing anything about the illegal business. He stressed that his resignation was not an admission of guilt, but only wanted to protect the office from involvement in a corruption investigation. The Bangkok people elected Apirak's colleague Sukhumbhand Paribatra as his successor.
From 2009 Apirak worked as an advisor to his party friend, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva . In a by-election for a vacated direct mandate in the constituency of Bangkok 2, he was elected to parliament in December 2010 with 69% of the vote. In the regular parliamentary elections in 2011 , he was re-elected eighth on the Democratic party list. His party elected him deputy chairman.
In September 2013, Apirak was finally acquitted of corruption charges, while Pracha was sentenced to twelve years in prison and Athilak to ten years. They evaded their punishment by fleeing abroad.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Usanee Mongkolporn: Executive's Aspirations. Apirak has an eye on the political future. In: The Nation , October 27, 2003.
- ↑ Apirak Kosayodhin ( Memento from April 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) , biography of the governor on the BMA website
- ↑ a b Pracha gets jail, Apirak acquitted in fire trucks scandal. In: Bangkok Post , September 10, 2013.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Apirak Kosayodhin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Thai politician, 14th Governor of Bangkok |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 30, 1961 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nonthaburi Province |