Wan Muhamad Noor Matha

Wan Muhamad Noor Matha (Thai: วันมูหะมัดนอร์ มะทา; Thai pronunciation: [. wān.muː.hà.mát.nɔː má.tʰāː]; rtgs: Wanmuhamatno Matha), also called Wan Nor, (Thai: วันนอร์; Thai pronunciation: [wān.nɔː]; rtgs: Wanno; born 11 May 1944 in Yala, Thailand) is a Thai politician. He is a founder of the Wahdah Group, a small lobby of assimilated and integrated Muslim politicians, although the name Matha (monastery) is of Hindu origin.

Wan Noor studied Medicine and Management until 1974 at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and graduated as Master of Education.

From 1979 until 1984 he represented Yala for the Social Action Party. He was elected to the National Parliament. He moved to the Democratic Party and later to the New Hope party. After 1980 he worked in the Ministry of Finance and Industry. From 1994 to 1995, he was appointed Deputy Minister of the Interior and was President (Speaker) of Parliament from November 1996 to June 2000.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudhs party and formed a coalition with New Hope that eventually merged with the Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In 2001 Wan Noor became Minister of Transport and Communications and Minister of the Interior in October 2002.

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