Prem Tinsulanonda

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Prem Tinsulanonda (2010)
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Prem Tinsulanonda ( Thai เปรม ติณ สู ลา นนท์ , RTGS Prem Tinnasulanon , [preːm tinːásǔːlaːnon] , sometimes also written Tinsulanon, Tinsulanond or Tinsulananda; born August 26, 1920 in Songkhla ; † May 26, 2019 in Bangkok ) was a Thai politician and army officer . He was Prime Minister of Thailand from 1980 to 1988. From 1998 until his death he was President of the Privy Council .

The general became supreme commander of the army in 1978, defense minister in 1979 and prime minister the following year. Although he did not belong to any party and did not run for general elections, he was confirmed in parliament in 1983 and 1986. He was also able to survive two coup attempts in 1981 and 1985. After leaving office, King Bhumibol Adulyadej appointed him to his Privy Council and in 1998 to its President. Prem was considered to be Bhumibol's closest political confidante and the head of a political network loyal to the king. He continued to have great political influence in Thailand and was believed to be a key figure behind the 2006 military coup.

During the vacancy between the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13, 2016 and the inauguration of his son Maha Vajiralongkorn on December 1, 2016, Prem was the regent and thus interim head of state of Thailand. Then Vajiralongkorn appointed him again as President of the Privy Council.

Education and military career

Prem was born in Songkhla, the son of Luang Winittantagum (Bueng Tinsulanonda) and Odd Tinsulanonda. He had seven siblings. His father was the director of Songkhla Prison, which is why Prem later flirted that he had spent much of his childhood in prison. He received his education first in the province of Songkhla at the Wat Bo Yang and the Vajiravuth School. He later went to the prestigious Suankularb Wittayalai School and the Chulachomklao Military Academy .

Prem in (or before) 1959

After graduating, he became a lieutenant in 1941 and served as a platoon leader in the cavalry . In 1942 he was a member of the Phayap Army, which captured parts of Shan State as part of the invasion of Burma by Japan and its allies . He later continued his studies at the Cavalry School of the Thai Army and the US Army Armor School in Fort Knox, Kentucky. During this time the cavalry was converted into an armored force , but this is still called "cavalry" in Thailand for historical reasons. In 1959 he became a colonel and head of the tank school. He then attended courses at the College of the Thai Army and the College of National Defense , of which he was a member of the 9th class.

In 1963 he was promoted to commander of the “cavalry” infantry, and in 1968 to commander of the “cavalry” headquarters . In 1968 and 1975 he was a royal adjutant. In 1974 he became General Commander of the Second Army Region and in 1978 finally Supreme Commander of the Army.

Prem was single all his life. According to his own statement, he was "married to the army".

Early political career

Prem began his political career in 1959 as a member of the committee that was supposed to draft the proposal for a new constitution . In 1968 he became a senator and in 1973 a member of the legislative assembly. General Kriangsak Chomanan made him deputy minister of the interior and member of the country's development council in 1977 . In 1979 Prem became Minister of Defense . Prem's rise was supported by the Thai “ Young Turks ”, an influential group of politically interested young officers who advocated renewal. They considered Prem a “clean” soldier.

Term of office as Prime Minister

Prem Tinsulanonda on a state visit to the USA in 1984

On March 3, 1980, Prem was appointed Prime Minister of Thailand after General Kriangsak resigned. Prem was considered a "middle man" and was recognized by the military and civil politicians alike. After the restless and conflict-ridden 1970s, his government had a stabilizing effect. Gradually he democratized the country again. He was able to build a reputation as an honest, committed and incorruptible head of government. Prem remained independent and did not run for general elections, but relied on changing coalitions, which always gave him a majority in parliament. Prem built on a social “grand coalition” that included the military, administration, entrepreneurs and the emerging middle class. During his reign he had the full support of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He disliked party politics, and preferred to trigger new elections in 1983 and 1986 than face an unpleasant debate of no confidence in parliament. Non-party technocrats performed important functions in his government. The Prem era can be described as “semi-democracy” because, despite the democratization of speech and the increasing influence of parliament, the military and unelected officials still played a strong role and, in particular, Prem himself was not an elected politician.

In 1980 Prem issued Instruction No. 66/2523, which initiated a change of strategy against the uprising of the Communist Party of Thailand (KPT). Instead of military force, it was to be fought with political means. The fight against poverty, development programs in rural regions, stricter action against corruption and, above all, amnesty for fighters who turned away from the KPT should be deprived of its base. This new approach proved to be very successful. The communists' struggle against the state ended, many KPT sympathizers returned to civil society from the jungle, and the party disappeared into insignificance during the 1980s.

A year after Prem took office, his government was in crisis. The moderate Social Action Party left the coalition and Prem replaced it with right-wing groups such as Major General Sudsai Hasadin's party, the former organizer of the Red Buffalo militia responsible for the 1977 massacre at Thammasat University . The "Young Turks" who had high hopes for Prem were disappointed because he had taken such opportunistic businessmen and officers into the government that they hated. On April 1, 1981, they attempted a coup, to which they also invited Prem. However, he decided to flee to Nakhon Ratchasima with King Bhumibol . The rebellion could be put down due to a lack of support from General Arthit Kamlang-ek, who was an enemy of the Young Turks . This was then given the command of the important First Army region.

After the 1983 election, Prem relied again on a center coalition with the participation of the Democratic and Social Action Parties. Prem's government pursued a conservative fiscal policy and relied on a strong export economy. Thailand had a balanced budget and, compared to other developing countries, had little external debt . As a result, economic growth accelerated sharply. Due to the appreciation of the currencies of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, many industrial companies relocated to Thailand, where production costs remained low. In 1985 some of the "Young Turks" tried another coup while Prem was on a state visit to Indonesia. However, this failed even faster than that of 1981. After the election victory of the Democratic Party in 1986, this renounced the office of head of government, probably due to an intervention from the palace, and allowed Prem to continue his government.

The strengthening of the private sector, which had been favored by Prem's policies, and the political openness turned out to be negative for his own position. Many business people who had become rich through economic liberalization now aspired to the political stage. The growing middle class increasingly demanded political participation. To them, Prem's relatively rigid style of government no longer seemed appropriate to the changed circumstances. The economy was revived, internal and external security no longer endangered. A strong, military ruler was therefore no longer deemed necessary. His former social "grand coalition" increasingly disintegrated. Due to political dissatisfaction, Prem dissolved parliament , held new elections and resigned in August 1988.

President of the Privy Council

King Bhumibol appointed him a member of the Privy Council immediately after leaving as Prime Minister. On September 4, 1998, the king appointed Prem to succeed Sanya Dharmasakti as President of the Privy Council. He was considered the king's most important political confidante and trustee. Prem built an informal alliance of people and organizations close to the palace in politics, the military, the judiciary and administration, which the political scientist Duncan McCargo, who specializes in Southeast Asia, calls "network monarchy". As a behind the scenes actor, Prem continued to make a huge impact on Thai politics. He influenced appointments, promotions and transfers to bring people close to this network to key positions.

This network, coordinated by Prem, was by far the most influential political alliance in Thailand until Thaksin Shinawatra took over the government in 2001. He tried to displace the "network monarchy" with a network geared towards himself. Prem publicly criticized Thaksin's policies and arranged for Thaksin's critics to be promoted. Among other things, he supported the appointment of the later coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin as commander-in-chief of the army in 2005 . In June 2006, Thaksin claimed that "a deserving person outside the Constitution" was overthrowing him, widely interpreted as a reference to Prem. Prem endorsed General Sonthi's coup against Thaksin in September 2006 , which brought his Privy Council colleague, retired General Surayud Chulanont , to the head of government.

The political movement of the "Red Shirts" ( United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship ) demanded during their riotous protests in 2009 and 2010 Prem's resignation as President of the Privy Council and his admission that he was responsible for the 2006 coup.

After the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13, 2016, his son and designated heir to the throne Maha Vajiralongkorn did not immediately have himself proclaimed the new king because he wished "time to mourn". Instead, Prem was head of state ad interim for the transition period . After his inauguration on December 1 of the same year, the new King Vajiralongkorn reappointed him as President of the Privy Council. Prem died of heart failure at the age of 98 .

Honors

When Prem left the office of Prime Minister and was appointed to the Privy Council in 1988, King Bhumibol awarded him the honorary title Ratthaburut ("statesman"). In addition to numerous other decorations in the system of royal Thai orders and medals , he has since wore the rarely awarded and particularly high Order of the Nine Gemstones .

The longest concrete bridge in Thailand, which connects the island of Ko Yo with Prem's hometown Songkhla and Amphoe Singhanakhon , and the Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla are named after Prem Tinsulanonda . The Prem Tinsulanonda International School , a private boarding school in Chiang Mai, has also existed since 2006 .

further reading

  • William Warren: Prem Tinsulanonda. Soldier & Statesman. ML Tridosyuth Devakul, 1997, ISBN 974-89580-8-6 .

Web links

Commons : Prem Tinsulanonda  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Prem Tinsulanonda, King's Advisor and Statesman, Dies at 98 , on khaosodenglish.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  2. ^ Bangkok Post Public Company Limited: Prem becomes Regent pro tempore. Retrieved May 27, 2019 .
  3. ^ Warren: Prem Tinsulanonda. 1997, p. 26.
  4. ^ Warren: Prem Tinsulanonda. 1997, p. 50.
  5. ^ Warren: Prem Tinsulanonda. 1997, pp. 59-60.
  6. ^ Encyclopedia of World Biography. 20th century supplement. Volume 13, Gale Research, 1987, p. 131.
  7. ^ Prem Tinsulanonda. In: Munzinger Internationales Biographisches Archiv , 50/1988 of December 5, 1988.
  8. ↑ Frederick A. Moritz: Thailand's new strong man is also nation's Mr. Clean. In: The Christian Science Monitor. March 4th 1980.
  9. ↑ a b Chris Baker , Pasuk Phongpaichit: A History of Thailand. Cambridge University Press, 2005, p. 233.
  10. ↑ Surin Maisrikrod: Thailand's Two General Elections in 1992. Democracy Sustained. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore 1992, p. 15.
  11. ↑ a b Surin Maisrikrod: The Making of Thai Democracy. A Study of Political Alliances Among the State, the Capitalists, and the Class. In: Democratization in Southeast and East Asia. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore 1997, pp. 157-158.
  12. ↑ Surin Maisrikrod: Thailand's Two General Elections in 1992. 1992, pp. 9-10.
  13. ↑ Chai-anan Samudavanija, Suchit Bunbongkarn: Thailand. In: Military-Civilian Relations in South-East Asia. Oxford University Press, 1985, p. 99.
  14. ↑ Suchit Bunbongkarn: The Military in Thai Politics, 1981-1986. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore 1987, pp. 18-19.
  15. ^ Paul Handley: More of the same? Politics and business, 1987-96. In: Political Change in Thailand. Democracy and Participation. Routledge, London / New York 1997, p. 95.
  16. ^ Duncan McCargo: Network monarchy and legitimacy crises in Thailand. In: The Pacific Review. Volume 18, No. 4, December 2005, p. 507.
  17. ↑ Handley: More of the same? 1997, p. 96.
  18. ^ Duncan McCargo: Network monarchy and legitimacy crises in Thailand. In: The Pacific Review. Volume 18, No. 4, December 2005, pp. 499-519, doi : 10.1080 / 09512740500338937 , especially p. 506.
  19. ^ McCargo: Network monarchy and legitimacy crises in Thailand. 2005, pp. 499-501, 512 ff.
  20. ↑ a b Patit Paban Mishra: The History of Thailand. Greenwood, 2010, p. 166.
  21. ↑ Michael K. Connors: Liberalism, authoritarianism and the politics of decisionism in Thailand. In: Contemporary Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia. Routledge, Abingdon / New York 2010, p. 168.
  22. ↑ Pavin Chachavalpongpun: Thaksin, the military, and Thailand's protracted political crisis. In: The Political Resurgence of the Military in Southeast Asia. Conflict and leadership. Routledge, Oxford / New York 2011, p. 57.
  23. ↑ Gen Prem dies of heart failure at 98. In: Bangkok Post (online), May 26, 2019.
  24. ↑ Chatichai is prime minister. In: Chronicle of Thailand. Headline News Since 1946. Editions Didier Millet, Singapore 2010, p. 284.
Note on Thai names : This article addresses people by their first name.
personal data
SURNAME Prem Tinsulanonda
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Prem Tinsulananda
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Thai politician, Prime Minister of Thailand (1980–1988), President of the Privy Council (1998–2019), Regent (2016)
DATE OF BIRTH August 26, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Songkhla
DATE OF DEATH May 26, 2019
Place of death Bangkok