Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan ( th, นิวัฒน์ธำรง บุญทรงไพศาล, , ; born 25 January 1948) is a Thai businessman and politician who served as the acting

Prime Minister of Thailand The prime minister of Thailand ( th, นายกรัฐมนตรี, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed s ...

following

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 ...

's removal from office by the

Constitutional Court of Thailand The Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand ( th, ศาลรัฐธรรมนูญ, , ) is an independent Thai court created by the 1997 Constitution with jurisdiction over the constitutionality of parliamentary acts, royal ...

on 7 May 2014 until his deposition in a coup d'état three weeks after taking office. Before becoming acting premier, he was Deputy Prime Minister and

Minister of Commerce A Commerce minister (sometimes business minister, industry minister, trade minister or international trade minister) is a position in many governments that is responsible for regulating external trade and promoting economic growth (commercial polic ...

, and before that managed the country's rice pledging scheme.

Early and personal life

Niwatthamrong was born on 25 January 1948. He holds a bachelor's degree in education from

Srinakharinwirot University Srinakharinwirot University (abbr: SWU; th, มหาวิทยาลัยศรีนครินทรวิโรฒ; abbr: มศว) is a public university in Bangkok, Thailand. Founded in 1949, the university was the first upper-educati ...

and a master's degree in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

from

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 ...

and is married to Boonphatcharee Boonsongpaisan.

Business career

A close business associate of Thaksin Shinawatra, Niwatthamrong served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee-Media and Advertising front of

Shin Corporation Intouch Holdings PCL ( th, บริษัท อินทัช โฮลดิ้งส์ จำกัด (มหาชน); formerly Shin Corporation) is a Thai holding company which focuses on telecommunication industry. It is the parent ...

since 1995 and as Vice-Chairman since 2000. He served from 2001 to 2002 as Vice-Chairman of iTV and from 1993 to 1995, director of that company between 2002 and 2008, and a member of the board of directors between 2008 and 16 March 2010.

Political career

Niwatthamrong served as director of the controversial rice pledging scheme, where rice was bought at inflated prices from farmers and subsequently was left to rot due to lack of buyers. On 30 June 2013 he was appointed Minister of Commerce and a deputy prime minister in the cabinet of

Acting Prime Minister

On 7 May 2014, Niwatthamrong became acting Prime Minister following the removal of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Yingluck Shinawatra and several members of her cabinet from office. On 22 May 2014 he was himself removed from office following a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

Royal decorations

Niwatthamrong has received the following royal decorations in the

Honours System An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sashe ...

of Thailand: * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) 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 ...

* Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order of Thailand. It wa ...

* Companion (Fourth Class) of The Most Admirable

Order of the Direkgunabhorn __NOTOC__ The Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่สรรเสริญยิ่งดิเรกคุณาภรณ์; ) was establi ...

ราชกิจจานุเบกษ�
ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่สรรเสริญยิ่งดิเรกคุณาภรณ์ให้แก่บุคคลที่ช่วยเหลือผู้ประสบธรณีพิบัติภัย "สึนามิ" [สำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boonsongpaisan, Niwatthamrong 1948 births Chulalongkorn University alumni, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Living people Ministers of Commerce of Thailand, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Pheu Thai Party politicians, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Prime Ministers of Thailand, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan

Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan ( th, นิวัฒน์ธำรง บุญทรงไพศาล, , ; born 25 January 1948) is a Thai businessman and politician who served as the acting Prime Minister of Thailand following Yingluck Shinaw ...

Leaders ousted by a coup