Sunthorn Kongsompong
Sunthorn Kongsompong ( Thai : สุนทร คง สมพง ษ์ ; * August 1, 1931 ; † August 2, 1999 ) was a Thai army officer (most recently with the rank of general ). From 1990–91 he was supreme commander of the Thai Armed Forces and 1991–92 chairman of the military junta "National Peace Keeping Council" (NPKC).
biography
Sunthorn was a student at the Suan Kulab Wittayalai School , a well-known boys' school from which a number of prime ministers and military figures emerged. After finishing school, he entered the military and was a graduate of the Chulachomklao Military Academy . In the course of his military career he was promoted to general .
On April 1, 1990, he succeeded General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh as Chief of the Supreme Staff of the Thai Armed Forces.
He gained international fame on February 23, 1991 when he, along with General Suchinda Kraprayoon and other 5th grade graduates of the Chulachomklao Military Academy, deposed Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan on charges of corruption in a coup . This was followed by the formation of a National Peacekeeping Council (NPKC), of which he became chairman. On March 2, 1991, Anand Panyarachun was appointed Prime Minister, but the NPKC retained actual power.
On October 1, 1991, General Suchinda Kraprayoon succeeded him as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
After the bloody protests of Black May , he finally resigned from the office of chairman of the NPKC on May 24, 1992 after the Constitutional Court banned members of the military from influencing the appointment of the prime minister.
After his death from lung cancer , there was a scandal because it most of his assets worth an estimated 150 million US dollars of his mistress bequeathed . It also raised the question of how a general with a monthly income of just over $ 1,000 could build such a large personal fortune. The case ultimately led to investigations against other generals, politicians and business people on suspicion of illegal enrichment and corruption.
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Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sunthorn Kongsompong |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Thai general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 1, 1931 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 2, 1999 |