Meechai Ruchuphan
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Meechai Ruchuphan ( th, มีชัย ฤชุพันธุ์, , ; born 2 February 1938 in Bangkok) is a Thai legal expert and politician who served as acting
Prime Minister of Thailand The prime minister of Thailand ( th, นายกรัฐมนตรี, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed si ...
in 1992.


Life and career


Education and civil service career

Meechai has completed a bachelor's degree in law from
Thammasat University Thammasat University (Abbreviation, Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the ...
and a master's degree in comparative law from
Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...
, Texas. He participated in the Texas Legislative Internship Program. After his return to Thailand, he became a civil servant at the Office of the Council of State, rising to become head of the law drafting division. He was appointed legal advisor of prime minister
Sanya Dharmasakti Sanya Dharmasakti ( th, สัญญา ธรรมศักดิ์, , ; 5 April 1907 – 6 January 2002) was a Thai jurist, university professor and politician. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Thailand from 1973 to 1975. Sanya Dh ...
in 1973 and permanently assigned to the Office of the Prime Minister. During the military rule he was appointed a member of the Nationale Legislative Assembly in 1977 and in the same year deputy secretary-general of the prime minister.


Cabinet minister and acting prime minister

In March 1980, he was appointed minister to the Office of the Prime Minister in the cabinet of General
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, ...
. He held that position during all of Prem's eight-year rule and even after the change of government under Prime Minister
Chatichai Choonhavan Chatichai Choonhavan ( th, ชาติชาย ชุณหะวัณ, , ; 5 April 1920 – 6 May 1998) was a Thai army officer, diplomat and politician. From 1986 to 1991, he was the chairman of the Thai Nation Party and served as the Prim ...
until 1990. Concurrently, he served as Senator from 1983 to 1989. In April 1991 he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, serving under
Anand Panyarachun Anand Panyarachun ( th, อานันท์ ปันยารชุน, , ; born 9 August 1932) was Thailand's Prime Minister twice: once in 1991–1992 and again during the latter half of 1992. He was effective in initiating economic and p ...
and then under his successor General
Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon ( th, สุจินดา คราประยูร, ; born 6 August 1933) is a Thai retired army general and politician. As the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (1990–1992) he led the 1991 Thai coup d'état ...
. Meechai also was president of the 1991 Constitution drafting committee. After Suchinda's resignation under public pressure in the course of the events of Black May on 24 May 1992, Meechai acted as caretaker prime minister until a new head of government (
Anand Panyarachun Anand Panyarachun ( th, อานันท์ ปันยารชุน, , ; born 9 August 1932) was Thailand's Prime Minister twice: once in 1991–1992 and again during the latter half of 1992. He was effective in initiating economic and p ...
for a second term) was appointed on 10 June.


Senate speaker

Afterwards Meechai served as Senator again and was the Speaker of the Senate from 1992 to 2000. In this position he presided over a constitutional tribunal which ruled as legal an executive decree of the Suchinda administration (reportedly drafted by Meechai himself) that amnestied those responsible for the shooting of protesters. Meechai was critical of the 1997 draft constitution that had been elaborated in a long process under intensive participation of the civil society. He deemed some of the provisions too progressive, e.g. the article that declared all discrimination on grounds of social origin illegal. This was in Meechai's view incompatible with Thai culture that held it normal to crawl on knees in front of the king and unthinkable to confront him upright and akimbo. However, he finally supported the passage of the constitution in order to avoid political chaos giving the Asian financial and economic crisis and the hope that many had set on this draft.


NLA president, junta member and constitution drafter

Meechai served as President of the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly of Thailand (NLA) after the coup d'état in 2006. His appointment was seen as a sign for a move towards a more conservative, law-and-order constitution. He retrospectively judged the 1997 constitution as unsuitable for Thailand, comparing it to a Rolls-Royce with which one cannot plough a paddy field. He claimed that the Thai monarchy was endangered by three different groups: one group was questioning the necessity of monarchy through articles and research; one was anonymously attacking members of the royal family by criticising their behaviour and posting unsuitable images on websites hosted abroad; the third would abuse the monarchy for self-interest and political causes. Therefore, the rigorous lèse-majesté law had to stay in place and be strictly enforced. Meechai was also an advocate of appointed, instead of democratically elected,
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
and
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 ...
. As of 2011, Meechai was the chairman of Thailand's Law Reform Commission at the Council of State. After another coup d'état in 2014, Meechai—as one of two civilians—was appointed as a member of the junta which calls itself 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 ...
(NCPO). After a first military-appointed committee's draft constitution failed, Meechai was appointed chairman of another Constitution drafting committee by the NCPO on 5 October 2015.


Family and social status

Meechai was married to Khunying Amphorn Ruchuphan (née Seneewongse na Ayutthaya). They had two daughters. The academic David Streckfuss names Meechai as an example of "Those in the Shade of Charisma", referring to a group of (appointed) politicians, important business and upper-class figures who are in favour with the palace.


References


External links

* http://www.meechaithailand.com Personal website (Thai only) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruchuphan, Meechai 1938 births Living people Meechai Ruchuphan Meechai Ruchuphan Meechai Ruchuphan Meechai Ruchuphan Meechai Ruchuphan Southern Methodist University alumni Meechai Ruchuphan Meechai Ruchuphan Meechai Ruchuphan