Teeradej Meepien ( th, ธีรเดช มีเพียร, , ; born 21 March 1940) is a Thai retired general and politician. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Chief Ombudsman of Thailand. From May 2011 to July 2012, he was the President of the Senate of Thailand who is ''ex officio'' also the Vice President of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

Education

Teeradej graduated secondary from

Saint Gabriel's College Saint Gabriel's College ( th, โรงเรียนเซนต์คาเบรียล) is a private Catholic all-boys school in Bangkok, Thailand. The school was founded by the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in 1920. The school educates stud ...

and then graduated from 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 of ...

in 1962. In 1968, he took his master's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from the

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

in Michigan. He has completed courses in

army aviation An army aviation unit is an aviation-related unit of a nation's army, sometimes described as an air corps. These units are generally separate from a nation's dedicated air force, and usually comprise helicopters and light support fixed-wing airc ...

Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and ...

, Alabama and at the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

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

, Kansas. Teeradej continued his military education at the Royal Thai Army War College and the

National Defence College of Thailand The National Defence College of Thailand or NDC ( th, วิทยาลัยป้องกันราชอาณาจักร, Witayalai Bongkan Ratcha-Anarchak) is an education organization that provides advanced training for both senior m ...

.Gen. Teeradej Meepien (Ret.) — President of the Senate
Biographical Data, Senate of Thailand, retrieved on 7 June 2012

Military career

Teeradej served as a senator from 1979 to 1981. From 1989 to 1995, he held various executive positions in the

Thai Armed Forces The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) ( th, กองทัพไทย; ) are the armed forces of the Kingdom of Thailand. The nominal head of the Thai Armed Forces (จอมทัพไทย; ) is the King of Thailand. The armed forces are ...

Supreme Command Headquarters The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters ( th, กองบัญชาการกองทัพไทย) or the RTARF HQ, is the "mostly ornamental" joint headquarters of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, which is composed of the Royal Thai Army, ...

. From 1996 to 1997 he directed the 114 Coordinating Center of the

Internal Security Operations Command ('Conquer evil by the power of good') , logo = , logo_width = 150 , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = 200px , seal_caption = , picture = นายกรัฐมนตรี เป็น� ...

(ISOC). Simultaneously, he was the Commanding General of the National Defence Studies Institute. In 1998, he was the Director of the War Veterans Organization of Thailand. From 1998 to 2000, he was the Permanent Secretary of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

Political career

From 2003 to 2007, Teeradej served as the Ombudsman of the National Assembly. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Chief Ombudsman, with the Office of the Ombudsmen now being a three-person constitutional organisation independent of the parliament, under the new constitution. In April 2011 Teeradej was appointed Senator. He was one of the senators selected by a committee and not elected by the people. Subsequently, he was elected President of the Senate who is ''ex officio'' also the Vice President of the National Assembly. He took office on 9 May 2011. He lost his office on 25 July 2012, when a court convicted him for malfeasance during his tenure as chief ombudsman. According to the verdict, Teeradej had wrongfully awarded himself and his fellow ombudsmen monthly meeting allowances. He was given a suspended jail sentence of two years. As a convicted lawbreaker, he automatically lost his office in accordance with the constitution. His deputy speaker Nikom Wairatpanij was elected his successor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meepien, Teeradej Living people 1940 births Teeradej Meepien Teeradej Meepien Ombudsmen Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College Wayne State University alumni Teeradej Meepien Teeradej Meepien