Akanat Promphan ( th, เอกนัฏ พร้อมพันธุ์; born 12 January 1986) is a Thai politician and former

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

MP who served as Private Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister

Suthep Thaugsuban Suthep Thaugsuban ( th, สุเทพ เทือกสุบรรณ; , ) (born 7 July 1949) is a Thai former politician and former Member of Parliament for Surat Thani province. Until 2011, he was secretary-general of the Democrat Party a ...

in the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva and as a spokesman for the

People's Democratic Reform Committee The People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) or People's Committee for Absolute Democracy with the King as Head of State (PCAD) was a reactionary umbrella political pressure group in Thailand. Its aim was to remove the influence of former pre ...

protest movement.

Early life and education

Akanat was born on 12 January 1986 in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

as the second son of Pornthep Techapaibul and Srisakul Promphan, who later divorced. His father, Pornthep, once served as a deputy minister in the government of Chuan Leekpai, while his mother, sister of veteran Democrat politician

Niphon Promphan Niphon may refer to: * Japan (Nippon, Nihon) or the main island Honshū * Patriarch Nephon I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1310–1314 * Patriarch Niphon of Alexandria, Greek Patriarch of Alexandria in 1366–1385 * Niphon of Kafsokal ...

, eventually remarried

. He attended

Saint Gabriel's College Saint Gabriel's College ( th, โรงเรียนเซนต์คาเบรียล) is a private Catholic all-boys school in Bangkok, Thailand. The school was founded by the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in 1920. The school educates stud ...

in Bangkok until he was 10, after which he studied in Australia and then at

Charterhouse School (God having given, I gave) , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , president ...

in the United Kingdom. He read engineering, economics and management at

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

, receiving a bachelor's and a master's degree.

Political career

Akanat entered politics shortly after graduating from Oxford, becoming private secretary to his stepfather, Suthep, then Deputy Prime Minister. Akanat was subsequently elected a

Member of Parliament representing Bangkok in the 2011 general elections. At 25, he was the youngest MP elected that year. He and other members of his family received acclaim for his work during the

2011 Thailand floods Severe flooding occurred during the 2011 monsoon season in Thailand. The flooding began at the end of July triggered by the landfall of Tropical Storm Nock-ten. These floods soon spread through the provinces of northern, northeastern, and centr ...

, where he delivered food and other supplies to aid kitchens in Bangkok and Southern Thailand. In June 2013 he resigned from Parliament, to help lead the

dedicated to ousting the government of

Yingluck Shinawatra Yingluck Shinawatra ( th, ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร, , ; ; born 21 June 1967), nicknamed Pou ( th, ปู, , , meaning "crab"), is a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who became the Pri ...

, and served as the organisation's spokesman. After the removal of the Yingluck government and coup d'état in 2014, Akanat joined Suthep in being ordained as a monk for a year. In 2022 Akanat resigned from Democrat Party and became secretary-general of the

United Thai Nation Party The United Thai Nation Party (UTN), known in Thai as Ruam Thai Sang Chart ( th, พรรครวมไทยสร้างชาติ, ) is a Thai political party founded in March 2021 by Pirapan Salirathavibhag. It is running in the 2023 Tha ...

on 3 August 2022.

References

1986 births Living people Alumni of St John's College, Oxford

Akanat Promphan Akanat Promphan ( th, เอกนัฏ พร้อมพันธุ์; born 12 January 1986) is a Thai politician and former Democrat Party (Thailand), Democrat Parliament of Thailand, MP who served as Private Secretary to Deputy Prime Minist ...

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