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Suthep Thaugsuban ( th, สุเทพ เทือกสุบรรณ; , ) (born 7 July 1949) is a Thai former politician and former
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for Surat Thani province. Until 2011, he was secretary-general of the Democrat Party and a deputy prime minister under Abhisit Vejjajiva. He resigned his seat in Parliament in November 2013 to become the self-appointed Secretary-general of the
People's Democratic Reform Committee The People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) or People's Committee for Absolute Democracy with the King as Head of State (PCAD) was a reactionary umbrella political pressure group in Thailand. Its aim was to remove the influence of former pr ...
, which was conducting mass protests trying to unseat the government of Prime Minister
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 Pr ...
. After the military coup of May 22, 2014, Suthep was temporarily detained and placed under arrest by the new
junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...
. He was released after four days, retired from politics, and entered Buddhist monastichood from July 2014 to July 2015. Since, he became the leader of the Muan Maha Prachachon for Reform Foundation (the People’s Democratic Reform Foundation) that backed the junta sponsored Thai constitutional referendum, which had been put to a national referendum on 7 August 2016. He was released from prison on bail, later in February 2021, which stands in contrast to his court sentence (from 2021) still standing at a prison term of seven years.


Background and education

Suthep was born in Tha Sathon,
Phunphin District Phunphin ( th, พุนพิน, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') in Surat Thani province in the south of Thailand. Tha Kham is the principal town of the district. In 2014, the population was 73,067. Geography Neighboring districts are (from nort ...
, Surat Thani Province in
Southern Thailand Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded ...
. His father was the sub-district headman ''(kamnan)'' of ''
Tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 '' khwaen ...
'' Tha Sathon. Suthep studied Political Science at
Chiang Mai University Chiang Mai University ( CMU; th, มหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่) is a public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964. It has a strong emphasis on engineering, science, agriculture, and medicine ...
, before he went to the United States to do a master's degree at
Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together off ...
, which he completed in 1975. At the age of 26 he was elected sub-district headman of Tha Sathon, succeeding his father. Suthep and his family own a substantial share of Southern Thailand's
oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm '' Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...
plantations and shrimp farms.


Political career

In 1979, Suthep was elected Member of Parliament, representing Surat Thani province and the Democrat Party. This constituency is a stronghold of the party and he was re-elected in all following elections. From 1986 to 1988, he was deputy minister of agriculture in
Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda ( th, เปรม ติณสูลานนท์, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, ...
's cabinet, from 1992 to 1994 he held the same position in
Chuan Leekpai Chuan Leekpai ( th, ชวน หลีกภัย, , ; ; born 28 July 1938) is a Thai politician who is the current President of the National Assembly of Thailand as well as the incumbent Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives. Previou ...
's first cabinet. When the Democrat Party returned to power in 1997, Suthep was appointed Minister of Transport and Communication, serving until 2001. When Abhisit Vejjajiva became leader of the Democrats in 2005, he made Suthep secretary-general of the party. After Abhisit was appointed Prime Minister in December 2008, Suthep became Deputy Prime Minister overseeing internal security matters. In the general election on 3 July 2011, the Democrats were defeated, receiving 34% of the votes in contrast to the
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 ...
's 47%. In response, Suthep immediately stepped down as the party's secretary-general. When the government of Pheu Thai Party-leader
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 Pr ...
took office on 9 August 2011, his term as deputy prime minister ended.


Corruption scandal, political and criminal offenses

As part of the Sor Por Kor 4-01 (สปก.4-01) land reform scheme, Suthep gave title deeds to 592 plots of land in Khao Sam Liam, Kamala and Nakkerd hills of
Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...
province to 489 farmers. It was later found that members of 11 wealthy families in Phuket were among the recipients. Suthep addressed a huge crowd in his Surat Thani constituency a month before a no-confidence debate and called on his supporters to march on Bangkok in the hundreds of thousands to defend his reputation. The scandal led Prime Minister
Chuan Leekpai Chuan Leekpai ( th, ชวน หลีกภัย, , ; ; born 28 July 1938) is a Thai politician who is the current President of the National Assembly of Thailand as well as the incumbent Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives. Previou ...
of the Democrat Party to dissolve the House of Representatives in July 1995 in order to avoid the no-confidence debate. In subsequent
elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
,
Thai Nation Party Thai Nation Party, or Chart Thai Party ( th, พรรคชาติไทย, ) was a conservative political party in Thailand. It was dissolved by the Constitutional Court of Thailand on December 2, 2008, along with the People's Power Party an ...
won a majority, leading to the downfall of Chuan Leekpai's Democrat Party-led government. Wikileaks diplomatic cables from the US embassy revealed that many members of his own party have long complained of his corrupt and unethical behavior. In 2009, Suthep was accused of violating the
Constitution of Thailand The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand ( th, รัฐธรรมนูญแห่งราชอาณาจักรไทย; ) provides the basis for the rule of law in Thailand. Since the abolition of the absolute monarchy in 1932, ...
by holding equity in a media firm that had received concessions from the government. Under the 1997 Constitution of Thailand, which Suthep had supported, Members of Parliament are banned from holding stakes in companies which have received government concessions. In July 2009, the Election Commission announced that it would seek a ruling by the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
to disqualify Suthep. Suthep held a press conference a day later, announcing his decision to resign from Parliament. Suthep's resignation as an MP did not affect his status as a Deputy Prime Minister and as a Cabinet member. If his case had been submitted to the Constitution Court, he would have been suspended from duty as Deputy Prime Minister. He insisted his resignation was not a proof that he had done anything wrong but that he was worried about status as Deputy Prime Minister. After several Criminal court rulings that deaths and injuries sustained by Red-Shirt protesters during the political unrest in April and May 2010 were the direct result of orders to soldiers given by Suthep Thaugsuban, the director of the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), the Department of Special Investigation, public prosecutors and police agreed to file murder charges against him. Suthep along with Abhisit was also found responsible by the Court for the assassination of Italian journalist
Fabio Polenghi On 10 April and 13–19 May 2010, the Thai military cracked down on the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) protests in central Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. The crackdown was the culmination of months of protests that ca ...
, who was covering the 2010 protests.


Protest leader in the 2013–14 political crisis

Suthep was the most prominent leader of the anti-government protests that started in late October 2013, triggered by a government's proposal for an amnesty bill. On 11 December 2013, Suthep resigned his seat in parliament and quit the Democrat Party, to focus on leading the street protests. Even after the government abandoned the amnesty project, Suthep and his followers continued their protests, calling not only for the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra which would trigger a snap election, but for a total disempowerment of her brother
Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra ( th, ทักษิณ ชินวัตร; ; ; Chinese: 丘達新; cnr, Taksin Šinavatra; born 26 July 1949), is a Thai businessman, politician and visiting professor. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, ...
and his allies. After 25 November 2013, Suthep took part in the seizure of government buildings. On the next day the criminal court issued an arrest warrant. On 29 November 2013, Suthep named himself secretary-general of the
People's Democratic Reform Committee The People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) or People's Committee for Absolute Democracy with the King as Head of State (PCAD) was a reactionary umbrella political pressure group in Thailand. Its aim was to remove the influence of former pr ...
(PDRC, or "People's Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State"), an umbrella organisation of the protest movement. He strives for a replacement of the government, suspension of parliament, the appointment of a new head of government by the king, and the formation of an unelected "People's Council" to fundamentally reform the country's political system. After the coup d'état of 22 May 2014 led by army chief
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 Royal Thai Army, army officer who has served as the Prime Minister of T ...
, Suthep like other leaders of the two rivaling political camps was detained by the military for a few days. The prosecution charged him with insurrection but released him on bail terms. In July 2014 he was ordained to the Buddhist monkhood in Wat Tha Sai, Surat Thani. He took the monastic name of ''Prapakaro'' and took up abode at the Suan Mokkh meditation centre in Chaiya District (Surat Thani Province).


The People’s Democratic Reform Foundation

On the 30 July 2015 Suthep Thaugsuban led his former activist leaders to officially introduce the foundation of a charity group "the Great Mass of the People for Reform of Thailand" funded by donations from "Thai patriots" only which would cooperate with the military junta to achieve its reform peacefully without resorting to rallies or protests.


See also

*
Democrat Party (Thailand) The Democrat Party ( th, พรรคประชาธิปัตย์; ) is a Thai political party. The oldest party in Thailand, it was founded as a royalist party, and now upholds a conservative and pro- market position. The Democrat P ...
* Abhisit Vejjajiva


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thaugsuban, Suthep Living people Suthep Thaugsuban Suthep Thaugsuban 1949 births Suthep Thaugsuban Suthep Thaugsuban Suthep Thaugsuban Suthep Thaugsuban Suthep Thaugsuban Suthep Thaugsuban