Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admi ...

Chalit Pukbhasuk PC ( th, ชลิต พุกผาสุข) (5 April 1948 –) is a retired Thai air force officer, a commander of the

Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

, and the acting chairman of

Council for National Security The Council for National Security ( th, คณะมนตรีความมั่นคงแห่งชาติ; ) or CNS ( th, คมช.), formerly known as the Council for Democratic Reform ( th, คณะปฏิรูปการป ...

, the

junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by a ...

that overthrew the government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the 2006 coup d'état.

Biography

Chalit graduated from the

Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

Academy and held many key positions in the Air Force, including that of

air attaché The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

in Jakarta. Prior to becoming Commander of the Air Force, he was the Air Force's

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

. Chalit was reportedly reluctant to support the

2006 Thai coup d'état The 2006 Thai ''coup d'état'' took place on 19 September 2006, when the Royal Thai Army staged a '' coup d'état'' against the elected caretaker government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The ''coup d'état'', which was Thailand's f ...

– Royal Thai Army troops had surrounded Air Force Headquarters on the night of the coup to ensure that Chalit and the Air Force did not provide any resistance. Chalit was appointed a deputy chairman in the

under coup leader, General

Sonthi Boonyaratglin Sonthi Boonyaratglin ( th, สนธิ บุญยรัตกลิน, , ; born 2 October 1946) is a Thai former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and former head of the Council for National Security, the military junta that ruled the ...

. Chalit was paid nearly 114,000

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. Society for Worldw ...

per month as an additional salary to his air force pay while he was deputy chairman. Chalit was named as acting chairman of the Council for National Security on 1 October 2007, succeeding Sonthi, who retired from military duty to enter politics.Thai coup general quits position
BBCThai coup leader quits military council
, TNA/MCOT. In addition to his duties as air force chief and acting CNS head, Chalit also serves as chairman of the board of

Thai Airways International Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI (, th, บริษัท การบินไทย จำกัด (มหาชน)) is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961, the airline has its corporate h ...

. In 2011, Chalit was appointed by

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 ...

Privy Council of Thailand The Privy Council of Thailand ( th, คณะองคมนตรีไทย, khana ongkhamontri thai) is a body of appointed advisors to the Monarchy of Thailand. The council, as the Constitution of Thailand stipulates, must be composed of no ...

. Chalit is married to

Assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree and general ...

Dr. Phonthip Phukphasuk, a now retired professor for Thai language from the Faculty of Arts of

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

. They have two daughters.

References

, - , - , - Living people 1948 births Chalit Pukbhasuk Chalit Pukbhasuk Chalit Pukbhasuk Chalit Pukbhasuk Chalit Pukbhasuk Chalit Pukbhasuk {{thailand-bio-stub