Thawan Thamrongnawasawat

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat ( Thai : ถวัลย์ ธำรง นาวา สวัสดิ์ , pronunciation: [ tʰàwǎn tʰamroŋnaːwaːsàwàt ], also Thawal Thamrong Navaswadhi , Thamrong for short ; * November 21, 1901 in Ayutthaya as Thawan Tharisawat ; † December 3, 1988 in Bangkok was a Thai navy officer Rear admiral ) and politician. From August 1946 to November 1947 he was Prime Minister of Thailand .

Personal life and education

Thawan was born to Ooh and Ngoen Tharisawat. He received his education at the Debsirin School and the Cadet Academy of the Thai Navy . He later received legal training with the Thai Bar Association and the Navy Advocate General. After graduating, he served in the navy and received the feudal honorary title Luang Thamrongnawaswat as a lieutenant captain . Thamrong had three wives and seven children.

Political career

After retiring from active military service, he was active in the country's politics. He was a member of the naval wing in the "People's Party" and a promoter of the 1932 coup that brought the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy . During the government of Phraya Phahon Phonphayuhasena he became cabinet minister without portfolio in 1933. He was Minister of the Interior from 1935 to 1938 . The following government under Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram he belonged from 1938 to 1944 as Minister of Justice. In 1940 he led special government diplomatic missions to Burma, India and Australia. In 1942 he was a member of the delegation to government talks with Japan. After the abolition of feudal titles and ranks in 1942, he gave up his Luang title and again took his real first name Thawan.

Thamrong was a confidante of the left-liberal politician Pridi Phanomyong . During the Second World War he belonged to the Seri Thai movement led by the latter , which resisted the occupation by the Japanese and the collaboration with them. After the war ended, he was Minister of Justice in Pridi's government in 1946. He founded the Constitutional Front , a liberal party that supported the prime minister. After the unexplained death of the young King Ananda Mahidol and rumors of his alleged involvement, Pridi officially resigned due to exhaustion.

On August 23, 1946, Thamrong was appointed prime minister to succeed him. The country's economic situation after the Second World War was extremely bad and the country threatened to collapse. The top priority of his government work was therefore to strengthen the economy. So he developed the concept of the Food Organization to get food prices under control. He increased public funds by selling gold from the state treasury . The Thai press nicknamed him Lin Thong ("golden tongue"). This reflected on the one hand his eloquence and his cultivated demeanor, but on the other hand also his fine talkative handling of corruption allegations against members of his government.

During Thawan's reign, Thailand (then Siam) became a member of the United Nations on December 16, 1946 . In return, it had to surrender the territories in Cambodia and Laos gained as a result of the Franco-Thai War in 1940/41 to the Union française in order to avert a French veto in the Security Council .

On November 8, 1947, a coup took place under Lieutenant General Phin Choonhavan and Colonel Kat Katsongkhram , which forced him to resign. Thamrong then had to go into exile in Hong Kong . After his return he no longer took part in political life, but worked as a businessman.

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat died on December 3, 1988 in Bangkok.

Web links

• Biography (English)
• History of Thai Prime Ministers

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Judith A. Stowe: Siam Becomes Thailand. A story of intrigue. C. Hurst & Co., London 1991, ISBN 0-82481-393-6 , p. 377.
2. ^ Asia Yearbook. Far Eastern Economic Review, 1989, p. 256.
3. ^ Joseph J. Wright: The Balancing Act. A History of Modern Thailand. Asia Books, 1991, ISBN 9748206629 , p. 169.
4. ^ Stowe: Siam Becomes Thailand. 1991, p. 364.

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