Surapong Tovichakchaikul (1 May 1953 – 20 May 2020) was a Thai politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Abrv: MFA; th, กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ, ) is the principal governmental department in charge of foreign relations for Thailand. The ministry is headed by the Minister of Fore ...

from 2011 to 2014. He used to be

party-list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

MP and

Pheu Thai Party The Pheu Thai Party (PTP; th, พรรคเพื่อไทย, lit=For Thais Party, , ) is the third incarnation of a Thai political party founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Pheu Thai Party was founded on 20 Septemb ...

deputy leader.

Early life

Surapong Tovichakchaikul was born on 1 May 1953 at

Chiang Mai Province Chiang Mai ( th, เชียงใหม่, ; nod, , ) is the largest Province (''changwat'') of Thailand. It lies in upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lam ...

. He was Thaksin Shinwatra's cousin in-law because Sumalee Tovichakchaikul (Surapong's aunt) was married to Satien Shinawatra, Thaksin's uncle. Surapong has 2 children: Nuttapong Tovichakchaikul and Supisara Tovichakchaikul. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering from

Khon Kaen University Khon Kaen University ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น) or KKU (มข.) is a public research university, and it is one of the most prestigious universities in Thailand. The university was the first institution of highe ...

Entry into politics

Surapong entered politics when he was elected as the MP for Chiang Mai Province on behalf of the Democrat Party in the 1996 general election. He was also elected Democrat Party executive. In the 2001 general election, he was an MP candidate for the same party but lost to Pakorn Buranupakorn from

Thai Rak Thai Party The Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT; th, พรรคไทยรักไทย, , ; "Thais Love Thais Party") was a Thai political party founded in 1998. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under its founder, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawat ...

. In 2005 general election, he was a 41st party-list MP candidate for Democrat Party but was not elected. When he was a Democrat Party member, Surapong played an important role in criticizing Thaksin Shinawatra. Later, Surapong moved to join the Thai Rak Thai Party in 2006. After the 2006 coup d'état the Thai Rak Thai Party was dissolved and he and most of the former Thai Rak Thai Party members joined the People's Power Party. He was elected as MP for Chiang Mai Province again in the 2007 general election on behalf of the People's Power Party under the leadership of

Samak Sundaravej Samak Sundaravej ( th, สมัคร สุนทรเวช, , ; 13 June 1935 – 24 November 2009) was a Thai politician who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Defense in 2008, as well as the leader of the Peo ...

. In 2009, Surapong was among

United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) ( th, แนวร่วมประชาธิปไตยต่อต้านเผด็จการแห่งชาติ; นปช., alternatively translated as National Demo ...

supporters who signed

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

for Thaksin's amnesty. Later, Surapong joined the

and was appointed deputy leader of the party in September 2010. In the 2011 general election, he was elected as 20th party-list MP for Pheu Thai Party and was appointed

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

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 government. Later, Surapong was also appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. The Yingluck government was ousted in a coup d'état on 22 May 2014.

Death

Surapong died on 20 May 2020 of liver cancer at

Siriraj Hospital Siriraj Hospital ( th, โรงพยาบาลศิริราช; ) is the oldest and largest hospital in Thailand. It is in Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite Thammasat University's Tha Phrachan campus. It is the ...

. He was 67.

Royal decorations

Surapong 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 sashes ...

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 (decoration), orde ...

References

External links

เปิดประวัติ “สุรพงษ์ โตวิจักษณ์ชัยกุล”
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tovichakchaikul, Surapong 1953 births 2020 deaths

Surapong Tovichakchaikul Surapong Tovichakchaikul (1 May 1953 – 20 May 2020) was a Thai politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand from 2011 to 2014. He used to be Party-list propor ...

Deaths from cancer in Thailand Deaths from liver cancer