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 The 1991 Thai coup d'état was a military coup against the democratic Chatichai Choonhavan government, carried out by Thai military leaders on 23 February. Although the figure head was Sunthorn Kongsompong, there was a military influence from mil ...

in February and was a member of the junta called "

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 Chat ...

". A year after the coup, on 7 April 1992 he was appointed

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 ...

. This sparked mass protests that were violently suppressed during Black May which finally led to his resignation on 24 May 1992.

Early life and education

Suchinda, son of Juang and Sompong Kraprayoon, was born on 6 August 1933, in

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which ...

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, and is of mixed Chinese and Mon descent. Suchinda first attended Wat Rajabopit School and later Amnuayslip School. He studied medicine 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 ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

for 12 months before entering 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 o ...

. He graduated from Class 5 of the Academy, of which many students would join the

. He also attended the US Army Command and General Staff Course at the Artillery Regiment,

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landma ...

, Oklahoma, and the US Army Command and General Staff Course at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

Military career

Suchinda returned to Thailand in 1953 to serve as a Second Lieutenant in 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 ...

. On 25 January 1958 he became Troop Leader in an artillery infantry regiment. He was gradually promoted and given more responsibilities including: * Lecturer at Army Command and General Staff College * Director-General of Operations Department * Assisting Chief of Staff (Army Operations) of the Royal Thai Army * Deputy Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Army * Sub-Commander of the Royal Thai Army * Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army (29 April 1990) * Commander-in-Chief of the Supreme Command Headquarters (1 October 1991)

Coup, NPKC and premiership

Suchinda was a leader of the

(NPKC), which conducted the

that ousted the elected government of 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 Pr ...

on 23 February 1991. The NPKC installed former diplomat

Anand Panyarachun Anand Panyarachun ( th, อานันท์ ปันยารชุน, , ; born 9 August 1932) was Thailand's Prime Minister twice: once in 1991–1992 and again during the latter half of 1992. He was effective in initiating economic and p ...

as Prime Minister. After the general election on 22 March 1992, five

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

(Rassadorn, Justice Unity,

Social Action In sociology, social action, also known as Weberian social action, is an act which takes into account the actions and reactions of individuals (or ' agents'). According to Max Weber, "Action is 'social' insofar as its subjective meaning takes a ...

, Thai Citizen, Chart Thai) designated Suchinda as the prime minister. His appointment as Prime Minister on 7 April 1992 resulted in large protests, culminating in a general curfew and military deployment in Bangkok. In the event known as Black May, hundreds of people are believed to have died when soldiers opened fire on unarmed students and demonstrators during the protests. Further escalation was avoided by the intervention of

King Bhumibol 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 ...

. Suchinda resigned from the Premiership on 24 May 1992. The Deputy Prime Minister, Meechai Ruchuphan, became caretaker Prime Minister for an interim period until the new government was assigned. He was succeeded by

Post-downfall

After resigning, General Suchinda was appointed Chairman of Telecom Holdings, the holding company of Telecom Asia. Telecom Asia was awarded an unprecedented concession to build 2 million telephone lines in Bangkok after the NPKC seized power.

Personal life

Suchinda is married to Khunying Wannee Kraprayoon (née Noonpakdee), sister of Isarapong Noonpakdee, Suchinda's classmate from military academy. The couple has two sons: Jerdwut Kraprayoon, currently an advisor to the Royal Thai Army and Janewit “Jack” Kraprayoon.

Honours

* 1989 - 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 ...

* 1988 - 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 ...

* 1992 -

Order of Chula Chom Klao - 2nd Class upper (Thailand) ribbon

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 Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand ...

* 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 * 1988 -

Freeman Safeguarding Medal - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Freeman Safeguarding Medal - 1st Class * 1970 - Border Service Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Border Service Medal * 1968 - Chakra Mala Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Chakra Mala Medal * 1989 - The Boy Scout Citation Medal 1st class (Thailand) ribbon

First Class of Boy Scout Citation Medal of Vajira * 1991 -

King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal 3rd Class

Military rank

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

, Admiral and

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 Adm ...

Volunteer Defense Corps of Thailand rank

* Volunteer Defense Corps Colonelhttp://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2526/D/006/1.PDF

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraprayoon, Suchinda 1933 births Living people Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Leaders who took power by coup Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College