Arthit Kamlang-ek (31 August 1925 – 19 January 2015; th, อาทิตย์ กำลังเอก, ) was a Thai

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's so ...

from 1982 to 1986 and parallel the Supreme Commander of the

Royal Thai Armed Forces The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) ( th, กองทัพไทย; ) are the armed forces of the Kingdom of Thailand. The nominal head of the Thai Armed Forces (จอมทัพไทย; ) is the King of Thailand. The armed forces are ...

from 1983 to 1986. He was particularly influential during the 1980s during the government of

Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda ( th, เปรม ติณสูลานนท์, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, ...

Education and early career

Arthit graduated from the

Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA) ( th, โรงเรียนนายร้อยพระจุลจอมเกล้า, translit=Roong riian naai rɔ́ɔi prá Jù-lá-jɔɔm-glâo or รร.จปร.) is the service academy of ...

. He later attended the Royal Thai Army's Staff College.

Family

General Arthit has two sons, one daughter and one stepson. His youngest son, Titiwat Kamlang-ek, has two children: Peerawut Kamlang-ek and Athittaya Kamlang-ek.

1981 Young Turk coup

General Arthit was a leader of the counter-coup against the Young Turk coup of 1981. Afterwards, he was promoted to Commander of the First Army Region, traditionally regarded as the most strategic post for coups and counter-coups.

Clash with Prem

General Arthit's subsequent rapid rise to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the

in October 1982 was unprecedented.Nations Encyclopedia, "Thailand: Political Developments: 1980-1987"
/ref> Also serving as the Supreme Commander starting September 1983, General Arthit at times challenged the propriety of key government policies. In November 1984, for example, he made a televised condemnation of the government's

currency devaluation In macroeconomics and modern monetary policy, a devaluation is an official lowering of the value of a country's currency within a fixed exchange-rate system, in which a monetary authority formally sets a lower exchange rate of the national curren ...

policy. Also in 1984, apparently with General Arthit's blessing, some active-duty and retired army officers pressed for constitutional amendments aimed at enhancing their political influence. A showdown between Arthit's camp and Prem's ruling coalition was narrowly averted when General Arthit urged the officers to abandon the amendments. General Arthit also played a role in the 1985 election which brought

Chamlong Srimuang Chamlong Srimuang ( th, จำลอง ศรีเมือง; born 5 July 1935) is a Thai activist and former politician. A former general, he was a leader of the "Young Turks" military clique, founded and led the Palang Dharma Party, serv ...

to the governorship of Bangkok. Arthit urged his subordinates and their families to vote against any party that had an anti-military orientation, particularly the Democrats.

Downfall

In 1986, General Arthit lobbied vigorously to extend his term as Army Commander another year to September 1987, which would allow him to retain influence after the expiration of Prem's term as Prime Minister. But on March 24, 1986, the government announced that Arthit would be retired as scheduled on September 1, 1986. Then on 27 May, Prem stunned the nation by dismissing Arthit from his position as Army chief and replacing him with General Chaovalit Yongchaiyut, a Prem loyalist. Prior to that, no Army Chief had ever been fired. This unprecedented action came amid the flurry of rumours that the general was involved in behind-the-scenes manoeuvres to undermine Prem's chances for another premiership after the July 1986 parliamentary elections. General Arthit, whose largely ceremonial post as Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces until September 1986 was not affected by the dismissal order, denied any role in such maneuvers.

Post-military career

In early 1991, Arthit was appointed by Prime Minister

Chatichai Choonhavan Chatichai Choonhavan ( th, ชาติชาย ชุณหะวัณ, , ; 5 April 1920 – 6 May 1998) was a Thai army officer, diplomat and politician. From 1986 to 1991, he was the chairman of the Thai Nation Party and served as the Prim ...

as Deputy Defense Minister. Early rumors of his appointment seriously angered many military leaders, especially Army chief

Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon ( th, สุจินดา คราประยูร, ; born 6 August 1933) is a Thai retired army general and politician. As the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (1990–1992) he led the 1991 Thai coup d'état ...

and his former classmates from the 5th Class of the

. A military coup led by Suchinda and the

National Peace Keeping Council The National Peace Keeping Council (NPKC) ( th, คณะรักษาความสงบเรียบร้อยแห่งชาติ) was the name assumed by a Thai military junta that overthrew the elected civilian government of Cha ...

soon overthrew Chatichai's government.

Honour

* 1982 - Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order (decoration), orde ...

* 1981 - Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

* 1983 - Knight Grand Commander of the Most Illustrious

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์จุลจอมเกล้า; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Chulalongkorn, Rama V of The Thailand, Kingdom of ...

* 1990 -

Knight Commander of the Honourable

Order of Rama __NOTOC__ The Honourable Order of Rama ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีศักดิ์รามาธิบดี; ) was established on 22 July 1918 ( B.E. 2461) by King Rama VI of the Kingdo ...

* 1995 -

Order of Symbolic Propitiousness Ramkeerati __NOTOC__ The Order of Symbolic Propitiousness Ramkeerati (Special Class) - Boy Scout Citation Medal ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นสิริยิ่งรามกีรติ ล� ...

* 1969 -

Victory Medal -

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

* 1952 -

Victory Medal -

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

* 1973 -

Victory Medal -

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, with flames * 1982 - Freeman Safeguarding Medal - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Freemen Safeguarding Medal (First Class) * 1982 - Border Service Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Border Service Medal * 1959 - Chakra Mala Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Chakra Mala Medal * 1981 - King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

's Royal Cypher Medal, 3rd

Foreign honour

* : 1984 - Honorary Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace o ...

(P.M.N.) * 1984 - GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 8 Grosskreuz bes Ausf

Grand Cross 1st Class of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamlang-ek, Arthit 1925 births 2015 deaths

Arthit Kamlang-ek Arthit Kamlang-ek (31 August 1925 – 19 January 2015; th, อาทิตย์ กำลังเอก, ) was a Thai general. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 1982 to 1986 and parallel the Supreme Commander of the R ...