Udomdej Sitabutr ( th, อุดมเดช สีตบุตร, born 15 August 1955) is a Thai military officer. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 2014 to 2015.

Education

Udomdej studied at

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 ...

, an all-boys school. He then decided to go into a military career and proceeded to study at

Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School The Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School or AFAPS (Thai: โรงเรียนเตรียมทหาร) is a senior high school in Nakhon Nayok Province. It is a flagship institution of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters. The ...

(Class 14) and

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 ...

(Class 25). Once finished in cadet school, he studied at Command and General Staff College (Class 65) and National Defence College (Class 57).

Career

Sitabutr succeeded

Prayuth Chan-ocha 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 in May 2014, had seized power in a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

. He concurrently served as Secretary-General of the junta, the

National Council for Peace and Order The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO; th, คณะรักษาความสงบแห่งชาติ; ; abbreviated ( th, คสช.; )) was the military junta that ruled Thailand between its 2014 Thai coup d'état on 22 M ...

. During his tenure he was implicated in the Rajabhakti Park scandal, having overseen its construction as Chairman of the Rajabhakti Foundation. Udomdej retired in 2015 and was succeeded by Theerachai Nakvanich, with whom he had had a long-running feud.

Early life

He is the youngest of six children. One of his older siblings, Paisarn Sitabutr, is himself a retired

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 Admir ...

in the

Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

and a member of the National Legislative Assembly.

Honours

Udomdej 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: * 2014 - Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant * 2011 - Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand * 1990 - Order of Rama 6th Class ribbon

Member of the Rama Mala Medal of the Honourable

Order of Rama __NOTOC__ The Honourable Order of Rama ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีศักดิ์รามาธิบดี; ) was established on 22 July 1918 ( B.E. 2461) by King Rama VI of the Kingdo ...

* 1986 - Freemen Safeguarding Medal (Second Class, First Category) * 1991 - Border Service Medal * 1998 - Chakra Mala Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Chakra Mala Medal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sitabutr, Udomdej

Udomdej Sitabutr Udomdej Sitabutr ( th, อุดมเดช สีตบุตร, born 15 August 1955) is a Thai military officer. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 2014 to 2015. Education Udomdej studied at Saint Gabriel's Colleg ...

Living people 1955 births