Pornpetch Wichitcholchai ( th, พรเพชร วิชิตชลชัย, ; born 1 August 1948) is a Thai lawyer who has served as the
President of the Senate of Thailand since 24 May 2019. He was previously
President of the National Legislative Assembly from August 2014 to May 2019.
Education
Pornpetch attended high school at
Vajiravudh College
Vajiravudh College is a private all-boys boarding school located at 197 Rajvithi Road, Dusit, Bangkok 10300 Thailand. The school was established by Phra Mongkut Klao Chaoyuhua - King Rama VI who is also known as King Vajiravudh. It was originall ...
. He studied law at
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 ...
, obtaining a bachelor's degree, and undertook postgraduate studies at the
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class i ...
, obtaining a master's degree.
Career
He began work in government service for the first time in the legal position for Council of State. He previously served as a
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
judge, chairman of the Court of Appeal Region 4, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was formerly a professor in the legal faculties of many universities. He also plays an important role in foreign countries as the Executive Director of the
ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military ...
Law Association since 1987, having been the Chairman of the National Law Committee of the ASEAN Law Association. While serving as President of the National Legislative Assembly, he was invited by the
Inter-Parliamentary Union
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other ...
(IPU) to attend the World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments and gave a speech at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
.
On 1 December 2016, Pornpetch, as the President of the National Legislative Assembly invited Crown Prince
Vajiralongkorn
Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...
to ascend to the throne as King after the death of
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 ...
.
On 24 May 2019, the military-appointed Senate convened for its first session, in which Pornpetch was elected Senate president unopposed.
Honours
*:
** 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 w ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wichitcholchai, Pornpetch
Pornpetch Wichitcholchai
Pornpetch Wichitcholchai
Pornpetch Wichitcholchai
Pornpetch Wichitcholchai
1948 births
Living people
Pornpetch Wichitcholchai
Harvard Law School alumni
Pornpetch Wichitcholchai