Mom Rajawongse The precedence of Thai royalty follows a system of ranks known as ''thanandon'' ( th, ฐานันดร), which are accompanied by royal titles. The Sovereign There are two styles which can be used for a king in ordinary speech, depending on ...

Sukhumbhand Paribatra ( th, ม.ร.ว.สุขุมพันธุ์ บริพัตร; , ; born 22 September 1953) is a Thai politician belonging to the Democrat Party. From 2009 to 2016 he was the

Governor of Bangkok The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( th, กรุงเทพมหานคร; ) (BMA) is the local government of Bangkok (also called ''Krung Thep Maha Nakhon'' in Thai), which includes the capital of the Kingdom of Thailand. The governme ...

. He was removed from the post in October 2016 by Prime Minister

Prayut Chan-o-cha Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; th, ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา, ; born 21 March 1954) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who has served as the Prime Minister of Thailand since he ...

who used Section 44 of the interim charter to remove the elected official. The reason given for his ouster was "...because he was involved in many legal cases." He was replaced by Police General Aswin Kwanmuang.

Family

Sukhumbhand was born in Bangkok to Prince Sukhumabhinan and his commoner wife, Mom Dusadi Na Thalang. Prince Sukhumabhinan was himself a son of Prince

Paribatra Sukhumbandhu Marshal-Admiral Paribatra Sukhumbandhu, Prince of Nakhon Sawan (; Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ เจ้าฟ้าบริพัตรสุขุมพันธุ์ กรมพระนค� ...

, the Prince of Nakhon Sawan, a son of King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

(Rama V) with his Queen Consort Sukumalmarsri and an important minister of the royal government from 1926 until the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. Sukhumbhand was a first cousin once removed or nephew of 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 ...

(because Bhumibol's father Prince Mahidol Adulyadej and his paternal grandfather, Prince

are half-brothers, while Prince Sukhumabhinanda was an indirect first cousin of Bhumibol), in addition to being related to the current King

Maha 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 ...

and his sisters as a second-degree cousin. The title ''Mom Rajawongse'' reflects his royal descent as a great-grandchild of a monarch. Sukhumbhand is divorced from Nuchwadi Bamrungtrakul. His second wife is Savitri Paribatra na Ayudhya. He has two sons, one from each marriage. Since 1986, Sukhumbhand has chaired the not-for-profit Chumbhot-Pantip Foundation.

Education and academic career

Sukhumbhand attended Cheam School and

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

in England. He studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at the Pembroke College of

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1977. He added post-graduate studies of

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, which he completed with a master's degree. From 1980 to 1996, he worked as an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

of political science 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 ...

in Bangkok. From 1987 to 1995, he directed the university's Institute of Security and International Studies. He served as advisor to the Thai

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

' committee on foreign relations from 1987 to 1992, as policy advisor to Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan from 1988 to 1989, and as advisor to the house committee on parliamentary affairs from 1989 to 1991. From 1992 to 1993, he chaired the

Ministry of Commerce A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

's advisory board on international trade. He has taught as a visiting professor at

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Sukhumbhand was a member of the

Asia Society The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and around the world (Hong Kong, Man ...

International Council and the

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

(IISS).

Political career

Sukhumbhand started his political career in the short-lived Nam Thai Party of which he was a founding member in 1994. He soon switched over to the Democrat Party. He was elected member of parliament for Bangkok in 1996 and 2001. In 1999, when he was deputy foreign minister, he volunteered with a couple other Thai officials to take the place of 82 hostages taken at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok by armed gunmen from the "Virulent Burmese Student Warriors". All of the hostages were released unhurt because Sukhumbhand went in the helicopter with the gunmen so they would release all the hostages. From 1997 to 2001, he served as deputy minister of foreign affairs. From 2002 to 2004, he chaired of the

Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) is a regional organization of liberal democratic political parties in Asia. Background The Council was created on 15 October 1993, in a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan. There are nine member partie ...

. From 2005 to 2008, he was the deputy secretary-general of the Democrat Party. In 2007, he was re-elected to parliament on the party list. Bangkok Governor

Apirak Kosayodhin Apirak Kosayodhin ( th, อภิรักษ์ โกษะโยธิน; , born March 30, 1961) is a former Thai business executive and former governor of Bangkok. In the gubernatorial elections on August 29, 2004 he won with 40% of the vo ...

stepped down in late 2008, after the National Anti-Corruption Commission initiated proceedings against him. In the 11 January 2009 election, Sukhumbhand was elected his successor by a large margin, winning 45 percent of votes cast. After four years in office, he was re-elected on 3 March 2013. On 24 August 2016, he was suspended indefinitely by Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Royal decorations

Sukhumbhand 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 sashes ...

of Thailand: *1996 Knight Commander (Second Class, lower grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao *1998 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 ...

*1999 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 ...

Family

Education and academic career

Political career

Royal decorations

Ancestry

References

Further reading