Chuan Leekpai
Encyclopedia
Chuan Leekpai was the Prime Minister of Thailand
from September 20, 1992 to May 19, 1995 and again from November 9, 1997 to February 9, 2001. A third-generation Thai Chinese
, Chuan was born in Trang province in a grass-roofed house. The walls of his family's house were woven from strips of betel-nut wood. The floor was the soil. His father's name was Niyom Leekpai and his mother's name was Tuan Leekpai. They were half-Chinese parents like most Trang locals. His father was a teacher and he earned modest wages. Tuan Leekpai sold Thai desserts and worked in a para rubber garden. Chuan Leekpai has 9 siblings and is the third child in the family. Because of his big family, Chuan's childhood was not comfortable. Chuan moved to the temple school called 'Wat Amarintraram' in Bangkok where he lived for 6 years. Then he went to study Law
at Thammasat University
, Bangkok
, Thailand
. After he graduated, he worked as a lawyer and then as a politician. He has one son, Surabot Leekpai, with Pakdiporn Sujaritkul (his common-law wife
).
As the leader of the Democrat Party
, Chuan was elected in 1992 after the abortive coup by General Suchinda Kraprayoon
, thus becoming Thailand's first prime minister to come to power without either aristocratic or military backing. His first administration consisted of a five party coalition of the Democrat, New Aspiration, Palang Dhamma, Social Action and Social Unity Parties until he was defeated in the 1995 election, but assumed power in late 1997 following the fall of the Chavalit Yongchaiyut administration, which was held responsible for the economic crisis that beset Thailand in 1997. Although being criticised as a slow actor and allowing numerous corruption scandals, Chuan managed to meet factional demands.
, with 79 seats, compared to the Chart Thai Party with 77 seats. Chuan formed a coalition government with the Phalang Dharma and Ekkaparb parties.
Key policies of Chuan's first administration included:
The first Chuan administration fell when members of the cabinet were implicated in profiting from Sor Phor Kor 4-01 land project documents distributed in Phuket province. Fierce public and press criticism and dissolution of Parliament were the reasons for his administration's downfall.
Chuan became prime minister for the second time on November 9, 1997, replacing Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
, with a shaky line-up of a six-party coalition and 12 independent defectors from a seventh party, Prachakorn Thai. The ruling coalition increased its 20-seat majority in October 1998, by including the Chart Pattana party.
were in line with the policies of market economies such as Australia and New Zealand. Interestingly, the subsequent government's economic growth was based even more strongly on selling national assets and private organisations abroad such as the Shin corporation, while most of their economic gains were built on the frugality of the Democrat policy platform. Thai Rak Thai painted the Democrats as having "open contempt" for the plight of the common Thai which set off a revenge vote against the party during the 2001 election, which gave a landslide victory to Thaksin Shinawatra
.
. Respected historian Nidhi Iawsriwong noted that "the present situation is as worse as that of the May event (the bloody crackdown of anti-government protesters in 1992). We have a tyrannical government that is arrogant and not accountable to the public. This is dangerous because the government still sees itself as legitimate and claims that it is democratic. In fact, it is as brutal as the military government".
In March 1999, Chuan nominated Thanom Kittikachorn
to the post of honorary royal guard to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, provoking widespread criticism. Thanom turned down his appointment Thanom was one of the "Three Tyrants" who ruled Thailand from 1963 to 1973 and ordered the massacre of pro-democracy students on 14 October 1973, after which he was ordered to step down and be exiled by HM Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In April 2000, the Editor in Chief of the Chiang Mai daily newspaper Pak Nua was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted murder, but recovered. The editor believed that his repeated critical reporting on the government led to the assault.
Chuan stepped down as the head of the Democrat Party in 2003.
of Thailand:
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
from September 20, 1992 to May 19, 1995 and again from November 9, 1997 to February 9, 2001. A third-generation Thai Chinese
Thai Chinese
The Thai Chinese are an overseas Chinese community who live in Thailand. Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most prominent, and most integrated overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 9.5 million people...
, Chuan was born in Trang province in a grass-roofed house. The walls of his family's house were woven from strips of betel-nut wood. The floor was the soil. His father's name was Niyom Leekpai and his mother's name was Tuan Leekpai. They were half-Chinese parents like most Trang locals. His father was a teacher and he earned modest wages. Tuan Leekpai sold Thai desserts and worked in a para rubber garden. Chuan Leekpai has 9 siblings and is the third child in the family. Because of his big family, Chuan's childhood was not comfortable. Chuan moved to the temple school called 'Wat Amarintraram' in Bangkok where he lived for 6 years. Then he went to study Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at Thammasat University
Thammasat University
Thammasat University , or in brief TU , is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics , reflecting the political fervor of the time...
, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. After he graduated, he worked as a lawyer and then as a politician. He has one son, Surabot Leekpai, with Pakdiporn Sujaritkul (his common-law wife
Common-law marriage
Common-law marriage, sometimes called sui juris marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute, is a form of interpersonal status that is legally recognized in limited jurisdictions as a marriage even though no legally recognized marriage ceremony is performed or civil marriage...
).
As the leader of the Democrat Party
Democrat Party (Thailand)
The Democrat Party is Thailand's oldest political party and was the main coalition government party of the 23rd House of Representatives of Thailand. The Democrat Party's current leader is Abhisit Vejjajiva, incumbent opposition leader and former Prime Minister. The party upholds a conservative...
, Chuan was elected in 1992 after the abortive coup by General Suchinda Kraprayoon
Suchinda Kraprayoon
Suchinda Kraprayoon was Prime Minister of Thailand from 7 April 1992 until 24 May 1992.Suchinda, son of Juang and Sompong Kraprayoon, was born 6 August 1933 in the province of Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, and is of Chinese and Mon descent...
, thus becoming Thailand's first prime minister to come to power without either aristocratic or military backing. His first administration consisted of a five party coalition of the Democrat, New Aspiration, Palang Dhamma, Social Action and Social Unity Parties until he was defeated in the 1995 election, but assumed power in late 1997 following the fall of the Chavalit Yongchaiyut administration, which was held responsible for the economic crisis that beset Thailand in 1997. Although being criticised as a slow actor and allowing numerous corruption scandals, Chuan managed to meet factional demands.
Raluek Leekpai Scandal
In 1987, when Chuan was Parliament Speaker, his younger brother Raluek Leekpai (ระลึก หลีกภัย) was charged with embezzling 231.8 million THB (approx. 9 million USD in 1987) from Thai Farmers Bank. Raluek had been an executive at TFB. Responding to accusations in Parliament, Chuan publicly defended the innocence of his brother. Raluek fled the country, and only returned to Thailand in 2004 after the statute of limitations expired on his crime and he couldn't be prosecuted. He had been on the run as a fugitive in Taiwan. Raluek has said he might enter politics in order to restore his reputation, although he said he wanted to live a quiet life in his Trang hometown.First Term (1992-1995)
In the aftermath of Bloody May, the Democrat Party won the majority of seats in the September 1992 electionsThai general election, September 1992
General elections were held in Thailand on 13 September 1992. The result was a victory for the Democrat Party, which won 79 of the 360 seats. Voter turnout was 61.6%.-Results:...
, with 79 seats, compared to the Chart Thai Party with 77 seats. Chuan formed a coalition government with the Phalang Dharma and Ekkaparb parties.
Key policies of Chuan's first administration included:
- Engagement with Burma. As with all previous administrations, the Chuan government employed a policy of constructive engagementConstructive engagementConstructive engagement was the name given to the policy of the Reagan Administration towards the apartheid regime in South Africa in the early 1980s...
with the military government of Burma, provoking much criticism. - Reforestation. A huge 5 million rai reforestation programme in honour of King Bhumibol's 50th anniversary of accession to the throne (1996) was initiated in 1994. The reforestation programme was officially declared a failure, with less than 40% of the target realized. The Director General of the RFD was suspended from his post for alleged corruption within the programme.
- Emphasis on national economic stability, decentralization of the administrative powers to the rural provinces, fostering income, opportunity and economic development distribution to the regions.
The first Chuan administration fell when members of the cabinet were implicated in profiting from Sor Phor Kor 4-01 land project documents distributed in Phuket province. Fierce public and press criticism and dissolution of Parliament were the reasons for his administration's downfall.
Second Term (1997-2001)
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is a Thai politician and retired general. He was Thailand's 22nd Prime Minister from 1996 to 1997. He is of Sino-Thai and ethnic Lao descent....
, with a shaky line-up of a six-party coalition and 12 independent defectors from a seventh party, Prachakorn Thai. The ruling coalition increased its 20-seat majority in October 1998, by including the Chart Pattana party.
Economic Reforms
Chuan's second government enacted several economic reforms for which it was severely criticised. Chuan's "bitter medicine" policies brought little economic relief in the years following the 1997 economic crisis, particularly at the grassroots level. Opinions emerged that the Democrats were only helping big financial institutions and making the country more dependent of foreign investors. Nevertheless, many of the reforms recommended by the IMFInternational Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
were in line with the policies of market economies such as Australia and New Zealand. Interestingly, the subsequent government's economic growth was based even more strongly on selling national assets and private organisations abroad such as the Shin corporation, while most of their economic gains were built on the frugality of the Democrat policy platform. Thai Rak Thai painted the Democrats as having "open contempt" for the plight of the common Thai which set off a revenge vote against the party during the 2001 election, which gave a landslide victory to Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
.
Human Rights
Chuan's second government came under fire for the violent arrest of 223 villagers protesting the Pak Mun damPak Mun dam
The Pak Mun Dam is a gravity dam located 5.5 km west of the confluence of the Mun and Mekong rivers in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand...
. Respected historian Nidhi Iawsriwong noted that "the present situation is as worse as that of the May event (the bloody crackdown of anti-government protesters in 1992). We have a tyrannical government that is arrogant and not accountable to the public. This is dangerous because the government still sees itself as legitimate and claims that it is democratic. In fact, it is as brutal as the military government".
In March 1999, Chuan nominated Thanom Kittikachorn
Thanom Kittikachorn
Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn was a military dictator of Thailand. A staunch anti-Communist, Thanom oversaw a decade of military rule in Thailand from 1963 to 1973, until public protests which exploded into violence forced him to step down...
to the post of honorary royal guard to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, provoking widespread criticism. Thanom turned down his appointment Thanom was one of the "Three Tyrants" who ruled Thailand from 1963 to 1973 and ordered the massacre of pro-democracy students on 14 October 1973, after which he was ordered to step down and be exiled by HM Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In April 2000, the Editor in Chief of the Chiang Mai daily newspaper Pak Nua was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted murder, but recovered. The editor believed that his repeated critical reporting on the government led to the assault.
Corruption
Although generally regarded as relatively clean and honest when compared to other Thai administrations, Chuan's government found itself plagued with corruption scandals and rumors. Key cases of corruption included:- Rakkiat Sukhthana, Health Minister, was charged with taking a five million THB (125,000 USD) bribe from a drug firm and forcing state hospitals to buy medicine at exorbitant prices. After being found guilty, he jumped bail and went into hiding.
- Suthep ThaugsubanSuthep ThaugsubanSuthep Thaugsuban is a Thai politician, and Member of Parliament for Surat Thani province...
, Minister of Transport and Communications, whose brokering of illegal land deals caused the fall of the Chuan 1 government, was linked to abuse of funds in setting up a co-operative in his southern province of Surat Thani. - The "edible fence" seed scandal, in which massive overpricing of seeds distributed to rural areas happened. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture was forced to resign.
- The Salween logging scandal, where up to 20,000 logs were felled illegally in the Salween forest in Mae Hong Son. Some of them turned up in the compound of the Democrat party’s office in Phichit province.
- Sanan Kajornprasart, Interior Minister, as well as 8 other cabinet ministers were found to have understated their declared assets. Sanan was later barred by the Constitution Court from politics for 5 years.
- Chuan himself was found by the National Counter-Corruption Commission to have undeclared shareholdings in a rural cooperative.
Chuan stepped down as the head of the Democrat Party in 2003.
Criticisms
- Chuan also got the nickname 'Chang Tha Si' (painter in Thai). When party members were accused of corruption, he was always known to protect them by telling the press they were clean although the court had not delivered its decision yet.
Royal decorations
Chuan has received the following royal decorations in the Honours SystemThai Honours Order of Precedence
State decorations awarded by Thailand take the form of orders and medals. This page lists them by order of precedence.-Royal decorations:# Knight and Dame of the Most Auspicious Order of the Rajamitrabhorn...
of Thailand:
- 1979 -
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Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand - 1980 -
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Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White ElephantOrder of the White ElephantThe Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam.The Order consists of eight classes:... - 1981 -
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Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand - 1982 -
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Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White ElephantOrder of the White ElephantThe Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam.The Order consists of eight classes:... - 1996 -
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Grand Companion (Third Class, higher grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom KlaoOrder of Chula Chom KlaoThe Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao was established in 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty, and bears his Name... - 1998 -
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Knight Grand Commander (Second Class, higher grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom KlaoOrder of Chula Chom KlaoThe Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao was established in 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty, and bears his Name...
Foreign decorations
- 1993 - Grand Collar (Raja) of the Order of SikatunaOrder of SikatunaThe Order of Sikatuna is the national order of diplomatic merit of the Republic of the Philippines. It is conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines, upon diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who have rendered...
(PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
) - 1999 -
Grand Cross of the Order of the SunOrder of the SunThe Order of the Sun is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit...
(PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
) - 1999 - Grand Cross of the Order of ChristOrder of Christ (Portugal)The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
(PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
) - 2000 - Grand Cross of the General Order of Jose Dolores Estrada, Batalla de San Jacinto (NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
) - 2000 -
Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of RomaniaOrder of the Star of RomaniaThe Order of the Star of Romania is Romania's highest civil order. It is awarded by the President of Romania...
(RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
)
Quotes
- "I haven't received any reports yet."– (in Thai "ผมยังไม่ได้รับรายงาน") Chuan Leekpai's classic phrase when he faced many Thai reporters about some important issues or urgent issues.
- "The committee is still evaluating it."– (in Thai "ทางคณะกำลังพิจารณาอยู่ครับ") One of his most famous quotes.