Prayut Chan-o-cha ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา MPCh MWM TChW RMK |
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29th Prime Minister of Thailand | |
Assumed office 22 May 2014 Acting: 22 May 2014 – 24 August 2014 |
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Monarch |
Bhumibol Adulyadej Vajiralongkorn |
Preceded by | Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan (Acting) |
Head of the National Council for Peace and Order | |
Assumed office 22 May 2014 |
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Monarch |
Bhumibol Adulyadej Vajiralongkorn |
Preceded by | Position established |
Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army | |
In office 1 October 2010 – 30 September 2014 |
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Preceded by | Anupong Paochinda |
Succeeded by | Udomdej Sitabutr |
Personal details | |
Born |
Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand |
21 March 1954
Political party | Independent |
Spouse(s) | Naraporn Chan-o-cha |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater |
National Defence College Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy |
Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Thailand |
Service/branch | Royal Thai Army |
Years of service | 1972–2014 |
Rank | General |
Commands | Commander-in-Chief |
Prime Minister of Thailand in 2010s |
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Abhisit Vejjajiva (2008-2011) |
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Yingluck Shinawatra (2011-2014) |
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Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan (2014, Acting) |
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Prayut Chan-o-cha (2014-present) |
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Prayut Chan-o-cha (previously spelt Prayuth Chan-ocha; Thai: ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา (ลุงตู่); rtgs: Prayut Chan-ocha; IPA: [prà.jút tɕān.ʔōː.tɕʰāː]; born 21 March 1954) is a retired Royal Thai Army officer who is the head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), a military junta, and concurrently serves as the Prime Minister of Thailand. The council, which he appointed himself along with other junta members, has the power to name the prime minister and control prime ministerial positions.
Prayut is a former Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army, the post he held from October 2010 to October 2014. After his appointment as army chief, Prayut was characterised as a strong royalist and an opponent of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Considered a hardliner within the military, he was one of the leading proponents of military crackdowns on the Red Shirt demonstrations of April 2009 and April–May 2010. He later sought to moderate his profile, talking to relatives of protesters who were killed in the bloody conflict, and co-operating with the government of Yingluck Shinawatra who won parliamentary election in July 2011.