Praphas Charusathien ( th, ประภาส จารุเสถียร, , ; 25 November 1912 – 18 August 1997) was a Thai military

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

and politician. He was a field marshal (''

chom phon The Thai rank of Field Marshal ( th, จอมพล, จอมพลทหารบก, Chom Phon) is the most senior rank of the Royal Thai Army. Today it is ceremonially held by members of the Thai royal family and exists only on paper in the ...

'') 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 ...

and minister of interior in the governments of military rulers

Sarit Thanarat Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat (also spelt ''Dhanarajata''; th, สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์, ; 16 June 1908 – 8 December 1963) was a Thai general who staged a coup in 1957, replacing Plaek Phibunsongkhram as Thailand's prime m ...

and

Thanom Kittikachorn Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn ( th, ถนอม กิตติขจร, ; 11 August 1911 – 16 June 2004) was the leader of Thailand from 1963 to 1973, during which he staged a self-coup, until public protests which exploded into viole ...

Personal life and education

Praphas graduated from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy and became an infantry officer. He was sponsored by Field Marshal and Prime Minister-to-be

. He was quickly promoted to higher ranks. In 1957, Sarit appointed him minister of interior, a position in which he continued to serve after Sarit's death in 1963. The new Prime Minister was

, whose son married Praphas' daughter. From 1963 to 1973, he was additionally deputy prime minister and

Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army ( th, ผู้บัญชาการทหารบก) is headquartered in Bangkok. The commander of the Royal Thai Army is a powerful position that has at times been the springboard to the pre ...

. During this time, Praphas was the strong man in the background who pulled the strings in the Thanom government. He was known for obscure financial transactions and political intrigues, while sitting on the boards of 44 companies. In 1973, he was replaced as army commander by Gen.Krit Srivara, which signaled his loss of influence. In October 1973 protests against the rigid military rule grew into a massive popular uprising that was answered by a bloody crackdown on the protesting students and democracy activists. The many dead civilians prompted

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 ...

to intervene. Praphas, Thanom and his son-in-law Col.Narong Kittikachorn went into exile. Praphas returned to Thailand in January 1977, after the military had ended the democratic interlude in October 1976. However, he was not able to exercise political influence again.

Family

Praphas married to Thanpuying Sawai Jarusathien, daughter of Lt. Von and Huai Panprasit. They have a total of 6 children. Praphas's children were married to important people with military and political power, including Supaporn Charusathien married with Narong Kittikachorn son of

, Orapan Charusathien married with Yuthasak Sasiprapha and Supanapa Charusathien married with Somtat Attanand.

Died

Praphas Charusathien died on 18 August 1997 in Bangkok.

Honours

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: * 1964 - Order of Chula Chom Klao - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Knight Grand Cross 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 Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) to ...

* 1973 -

Knight Grand 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 Kingd ...

* 1959 - 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 of Thailand. It wa ...

* 1957 - 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 ...

* 1988 -

Member of the Order of Symbolic Propitiousness Ramkeerati * 1934 - Dushdi Mala Medal - Military, Acts of Bravery * 1941 - Victory Medal - Indochina * 1962 - Victory Medal - World War II (Thailand) ribbon

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

* 1969 -

Freeman Safeguarding Medal - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Freeman Safeguarding Medal - 1st Class * 1934 -

Safeguarding the Constitution Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Safeguarding the Constitution Medal * 1958 - Border Service Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Border Service Medal * 1945 - Chakra Mala Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Chakra Mala Medal * 1950 -

King Rama VIII Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

King Rama VIII Royal Cypher Medal - 3rd Class * 1959 -

King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal - 2nd Class

Foreign honours

* : 1957 - ESP Gran Cruz Merito Militar (Distintivo Blanco) pasador

Grand Cross of the Cross of Military Merit * : 1964 - Honorary Grand 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 ...

* : 1964 - BEL - Order of Leopold - Grand Officer bar

Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold * : 1966 - JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR

Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight f ...

* : 1966 - ROK Order of Service Merit (1st Class) Blue Stripes

Order of Service Merit The Order of Service Merit (Hangul: 근정훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea to public officials, private school teachers, and special post office employees for "outstanding meritorious ...

, 1st * : 1967 - St Olavs Orden storkors stripe

Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

* : 1967 - Royal Order of the Sword - Commander 1st Class BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the ...

* : 1967 - AUT Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria - 2nd Class BAR

Grand Decoration of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria * : GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 6 GrVK Stern Band 218px

Grand Cross with Sash and Star 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 ...

* :

Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Grand Officer

Grand Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

* :

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-rankin ...

* :

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charusathien, Praphas Charusathien, Praphas Charusathien, Praphas Praphas Charusathien Praphas Charusathien Praphas Charusathien Praphas Charusathien Praphas Charusathien Praphas Charusathien Praphas Charusathien Praphas Charusathien Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Praphas Charusathien