Sonthi Boonyaratglin

Sonthi Boonyaratglin (2009)

General Sonthi Boonyaratglin ( Thai : สนธิ บุ ณ ย รัต ก ลิ น , RTGS : Bunyaratkalin; pronunciation: [ sǒntʰíʔ bunjárátkàlin ]; also Sondhi Boonyaratglin ; born October 2, 1946 in Bangkok ) is a Thai army officer (general) and politician.

From 2005 to 2007 he was commander-in-chief of the Thai army , the first Muslim in this position. On September 19, 2006, he was the leader of the military coup against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra . He then headed the military junta called the “Council for Democratic Reforms”. After the end of his military career, he was from October 2007 to January 2008 as Deputy Prime Minister part of the civil transitional government established by the military. From 2009 to 2018 he was chairman of the Matubhum party .

Life

Sonthi Boonyaratglin is a descendant of Sheikh Ahmad Qomi , a Persian merchant who in the 17th century in what was then Siam settled, senior official at the court of Ayutthaya and the first leader of the Islamic community in the country (Chula Ratchamontri and Sheikh al-Islam) was . He founded an aristocratic family that is still influential today. Sonthi's mother was a chambermaid in the royal palace.

In 1969 he graduated from the Chulachomklao Military Academy and continued his military training in the United States . As an officer in the Thai army previously entrusted with the special warfare command , in 2005 he was the first Muslim in the predominantly Buddhist country to be appointed commander in chief of the land forces. This was generally taken as a sign to insurgents in the south of the country, where for decades there have been violent confrontations between Muslim groups striving for autonomy and the military. Sonthi tried to find a negotiated solution to this conflict, but failed because of the refusal of Prime Minister Thaksin, who refused to negotiate with the insurgents.

He is considered a confidante of Prem Tinsulanonda, Chairman of the Privy Council, and had attracted attention several times through arguments with Thaksin Shinawatra over security issues.

On September 19, 2006, he was at the head of the bloodless military coup that ousted the Prime Minister. On September 20, he was appointed provisional head of government by the military. The king, who enjoys widespread trust among the people in Thailand, confirmed in a televised speech that Sonthi was chairman of the new "Council for Democratic Reforms". He urged the population "all people should remain peaceful and the officials should from now on listen to General Sonthi's instructions".

On October 1, 2006, Sonthi was replaced as head of government by Surayud Chulanont , the head of the civilian interim government set up by the military . The Council for Democratic Reforms was renamed the "Council for National Security" and continued to exist as a higher authority under Sonthi's presidency.

On September 30, 2007, Sonthi retired as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The next day, he also handed over the chairmanship of the National Security Council to Air Force General Chalit Pukpasuk . On October 15, 2007, Sonthi was then appointed Deputy Prime Minister. After the election in December 2007, the junta turned the business over to the elected government of Samak Sundaravej in January 2008 .

In November 2009, Sonthi took over the chairmanship of the Matubhum Party (Motherland Party). This won two seats in the 2011 parliamentary elections . Sonthi himself did not move into parliament. The party was dissolved at the end of 2018.

Although monogamy is also prescribed for Muslims in Thailand, Sonthi lives with three wives (Sukunya, Piyada, Wanna). He is officially married to two of them (Sukunya, Piyada) at the same time.

Web links

• Biography (Thai)
• Governors to look into Sonthi's claim of communist hand in Southern unrest. In: The Nation . August 13, 2006
• Shawn W. Crispin: Thai elections: Democracy delayed. In: Asia Times Online . April 1, 2006

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Michael K. Jerryson: Buddhist Fury. Religion and Violence in Southern Thailand. Oxford University Press 2011, pp. 154, 225.
2. ^ Muhammad Ismail Marcinkowski : From Isfahan to Ayutthaya. Contacts Between Iran and Siam in the 17th Century. Pustaka Nasional, Singapore 2005, pp. 59, 65.
3. ^ Sonthi appointed as deputy PM. ( Memento of the original from October 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: The Nation . October 2, 2007 (English). 
4. ^ Gen Sonthi agrees to lead Matuphum. In: Bangkok Post . November 18, 2009.
5. ^ Anti-coup group calls for Sonthis' sacking for allegedly registering two marriages. ( Memento of the original from May 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: The Nation. December 28, 2006. 
6. ↑ Multiple wives just 'personal' business. ( Memento of the original from January 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: The Nation. December 31, 2006. 

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