Sukhumbhand Paribatra

Sukhumbhand Paribatra election poster for the 2009 Bangkok gubernatorial election

Sukhumbhand Paribatra at a seminar on climate change (2009)

Mom Rajawongse Sukhumbhand Paribatra ( Thai : ม. ร. ว. สุขุม พันธุ์ บริพัตร , RTGS : Sukhumphan Boriphat , pronunciation: [sùʔkʰǔmpʰan bɔːríʔphát] ; born September 22, 1952 in Bangkok ) is a Thai politician of the Democratic Party . From 2009 to 2016 he was Governor of Bangkok.

family

Sukhumbhand was born the son of Prince Sukhumbhinanda and his wife Mom Dusadee Na Thalang. Prince Sukhumbhinanda was in turn a son of Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandh of Nakhon Sawan, who was a son of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and an important minister in the royal government between 1926 and the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932. Sukhumbhand's minor nobility, Mom Rajawongse, indicates his distant royal ancestry. Sukhumbhand is a 2nd degree nephew of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) .

Education and academic career

From 1963 to 1970 Sukhumbhand attended the English private schools Cheam School ( Hampshire ) and Rugby School ( Warwickshire ). At Pembroke College of Oxford University , he completed the course of study Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1977 with a Bachelor from. He completed postgraduate studies in international relations at Georgetown University in Washington, DC , from which he completed a master's degree.

From 1980 to 1996 he taught political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. From 1987 to 1993 he was also director of the Institute for Security and International Studies there. He published in particular on Thailand's foreign and security policy and regional security issues in Southeast Asia. 1986 to 1988 and 1989 to 1991 he acted as advisor to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Thai House of Representatives , and from 1988 to 1989 as political advisor to Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan . From 1992 to 1993 he headed the Foreign Trade Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Commerce. Sukhumbhand was a member of the international council of the Asia Society and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). In 2005 he received an honorary doctorate from Maejo University in Chiang Mai .

Political career

Sukhumbhand was a founding member of the Nam Thai Party in 1994 , which included several high-ranking administrative and economic experts, but which did not have much success in elections. In 1996 he moved to the Democratic Party, for which he was elected to the House of Representatives in the same year, where he represented one of the Bangkok constituencies. From November 1997 to February 2001 he was Deputy Foreign Minister in the Chuan Leekpais government . From 2002 to 2004 he was a member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), a regional organization of the Liberal International . From 2005 to 2006 he was Deputy Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

In the election on January 11, 2009 he was elected with a majority of 45% as the 15th head of government of the capital Bangkok, which has a special status among Thailand's provinces, which gives it a higher degree of self-government. After four years in office, he was re-elected in the gubernatorial election on March 3, 2013. The electoral commission suspended Sukhumbhand for five months because one of his employees allegedly vilified the opposing candidate during the election campaign. The appeals court acquitted Sukhumbhand and he was able to resume office.

Since the end of 2015, there have been repeated allegations of corruption against the Bangkok self-governing authority headed by Sukhumbhand: It is said to have overpriced or unnecessarily purchased musical instruments, festive lighting for the New Year and 20 smaller fire engines. In addition, the governor is accused of irregularities in the tendering of renovation work in his office. On August 25, 2016, he was suspended indefinitely by the Prime Minister and junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha on the basis of his special powers (Article 44 of the Transitional Constitution ). On October 18, Prayut ordered his final removal from office on the grounds that Sukhumbhand was involved in several legal cases. Police General Aswin Kwanmuang was appointed to succeed him.

Web links

• Divided nation: “The law of the jungle rules in Thailand.” Interview with Sukhumbhand Paribatra on Spiegel Online , April 18, 2009.
• Sukhumbhand CV at Chumbhot-Pantip Foundation (Thai)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sukhumbhand vows to serve all sections. In: The Nation , January 12, 2009.
2. ^ Sukhumbhand wins, Pheu Thai concedes defeat. In: Bangkok Post , March 3, 2013.
3. ↑ PM invokes Article 44 to suspend Sukhumbhand. In: The Nation (online). August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016 . 
4. ↑ Sukhumbhand says goodbye to Bangkokians. Bangkok Post (online), October 19, 2016.

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