Kriangsak Chamanan

Thai politician

Kriangsak Chamanan (Thai: เกรียงศักดิ์ ชมะนันทน์, pronounced [kria̯ŋ.sàk tɕʰā.má(ʔ).nān]; 17 December 1917 – 23 December 2003) served as prime minister of Thailand from 1977 to 1980.

After staging a successful coup, he was asked to become Prime Minister in 1977, he ruled till 1980 and is credited with "steering Thailand to democracy" in a time where internally, communist insurgents are rampant and neighbouring countries have turned to communist rule following the communist takeover of Vietnam: South Vietnam (by the Viet Cong), Laos (by the Pathet Lao), and Cambodia (by the Khmer Rouge).

He died on 23 December 2003, aged 86.Regarded as one of the most notable statesmen in modern Thailand, his landmark developmental policies include the founding of Eastern Seaboard through the founding of PTT, facilitate the building of deep-sea port in Laem Chabang and negotiating for bilateral trade agreements between Thailand and Japan through Takeo Fukuda to include Thailand in the flying geese paradigm.

Chomanan founded the Petroleum Authority of Thailand and transforming it into PTT in a merger between three fragmented state-owned energy companies, serving as a major economic and industrial stimulus in the rise of Thailand secondary production economy in the 1980s and 1990s.

Moreover, the founding of PTT also served to lessen the strained on energy trade reliance that has caused a severe global oil price crisis in the 1970s.

His other notable works include the founding of the current largest weekend market in the world Chatuchak Market which also helps to solve Din Daeng Garbage Mountain issues, the Village Health Volunteers organization which act as a crucial model in Thailand public primary care, the founding of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the passing of the first-ever bills to include tourism in the government economic development plans and the up-gradation of Tourism Authority of Thailand from organizational level to state level, the passing of the current consumer protection acts and organizations and the founding of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

After his time in office, he was the only Prime Minister of Thailand until now and less than three in Asia, at the time of his membership, to have got the invitation to join InterAction Council of Former Heads of State and Government in solving various global issues A professional soldier, in WWII he was posted in occupied Shan State.

He fought against the French in the Franco-Thai War from 1940–43, serving as platoon leader, and against the communists in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

In Korea, he served as Commander of Infantry Battalion III which have fought valiantly on the Battle of Porkchop Hill, where he was only a few of the non-citizen officers to receive the Legion of Merits.

After the Korean War, Chomanan joined the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth where he is the only Thai person to be included in the Fort Leavenworth Hall of Fame.

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