Nattawut Saikua

Nattawut Saikua (March 13, 2010)

Nattawut Saikua

Nattawut Saikua ( Thai ณั ฐ วุฒิ ใส ย เกื้อ , [ nàttʰàwút sǎi.kɯ̂ːa ]; born June 4, 1975 in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province , Thailand) is a Thai politician. He is the general secretary and spokesman for the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship ("Red Shirts"). He initiated the first red shirt campaigns.

He became known through the demonstrations in the capital Bangkok in spring 2010 . In 2011 he was elected to parliament on the list of the Pheu Thai party . From January 2012 to May 2014 he was a member of the cabinet of Yingluck Shinawatra , initially as Deputy Agriculture Minister, after a cabinet reshuffle in December 2012 as Deputy Minister of Commerce.

Family and education

Nattawut was born in Tambon Sichon, Amphoe Sichon , Nakhon Si Thammarat Province . He is married to Sirisakul Saikua, with whom he has a son and a daughter. Jettanan Saikua is his older brother.

Nattawut graduated from Thurakit Bandit University with a bachelor's degree in communication science in 1998 . He later took part in the National Institute of Development Administration's (NIDA) Master of Public and Private Management program , which he graduated in 2005.

Speaker and TV star

Nattawut has a reputation for being a rousing speaker. Even as a schoolboy, he successfully took part in debating competitions, including an appearance on the MCOT-3 broadcaster . Later he worked as a speech teacher. Nattawut gained fame through his participation in the television program Sapa Joke ("Joke Parliament") on the private broadcaster iTV. The show parodied the Thai parliament and politics in general. Nattawut "dubbed" Trairong Suwankiri , the then vice-head of the Democratic Party .

Political career and activism

2001 Nattawut joined the Chart Pattana Party , but switched to the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2005 . Within the TRT, he founded a group together with his friends and political allies Jatuporn Prompan and Veera Musikapong . After Thaksin's fall and the ordered dissolution of the TRT, Nattawut ran for the People's Power Party in the 2007 elections . On February 6, 2008, he became deputy government spokesman for the Samak Sundaravej government and on October 7 , 2008, he became government spokesman for the Somchai Wongsawat government .

Nattawutt is, along with Jatuporn and Veera, one of the leaders of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), which is known colloquially as the "red shirt movement". The UDD is a political movement that strongly protested against the 2006 coup , which overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, the military-installed transitional government and the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva . Nattawut and friends played a role in launching the Thaksin-friendly People's Television . They also hosted the political talk show Truth Today . Nattawut was one of the organizers of the mass protests in 2009 and, together with the other UDD leaders, led the "red shirts" into the violent unrest from March to May 2010 , which led to the defeat by the military in April and May. Nattawut, Jatuporn and other red shirt leaders surrendered to the police on May 19, 2010 to prevent further bloodshed from the brutal military crackdown. Nattawut Saikua was charged with terrorism for his involvement in the 2010 protests in Bangkok with several other movement leaders. On February 22, 2011, he was released on bail.

In the 2011 general election , Nattawut Saikua was elected to parliament for the list of the Pheu Thai party , which also won the election overall. When Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra reshuffled her cabinet on January 18, 2011, Nattawut was appointed Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives. After another cabinet reshuffle in December 2012, he moved to the Ministry of Commerce as Deputy Minister.

He lost his post in the military coup on May 22, 2014. Like other politicians and activists, he was detained in a military base for several days, but then released on the condition that he no longer took part in politics. In November 2015, Nattawut was briefly interned again when he and Jatuporn Prompan wanted to visit a park established under the aegis of the military, which is said to have resulted in cases of corruption.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Craig Reynolds: Review of Nattawut Saikua biography , New Mandala, ANU College of Asia & the Pacific, October 27, 2010 (in English). Retrieved March 25, 2012
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Thanyarat Doksone: Thai 'Red Shirt' Firebrand Appointed to Cabinet , ABC News, January 18, 2012 (in English).
3. ^ Spreading Violence Locks Down Bangkok , Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2010 (in English). Retrieved March 25, 2012.
4. ↑ Red protest on the streets of Bangkok. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. March 12, 2011, accessed May 19, 2011 . 
5. ↑ Todd Pitman: Thailand's 'Red Shirts' urge release of colleagues , The Washington Post, February 27, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2012
6. ↑ Terry Fredrickson: Announcement day , Bangkok Post, July 27, 2011 (in English). Retrieved January 19, 2012
7. ↑ Drastic overhauling for Thai Cabinet , Asia One, January 18, 2012 (in English)
8. ↑ Red-shirt leaders restricted. In: Bangkok Post (online), June 1, 2014.
9. ↑ Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Pracha Hariraksapitak: Thai junta briefly detains opposition leaders ahead of anti-graft inspection. Reuters, November 30, 2015.
10. ↑ Nattasuda Anusonadisai: Thai opposition leaders detained ahead of scandal park visit. AP, November 30, 2015.

Note on Thai names : This article addresses people by their first name.