Anupong Paochinda ( th, อนุพงษ์ เผ่าจินดา; ; born 10 October 1949) is a Thai politician and retired army officer. He held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's ...

from 2007 until his retirement on 30 September 2009. While a lieutenant general holding the position of 1st Army Region Commander, Anupong was an appointed member of the

Council for National Security The Council for National Security ( th, คณะมนตรีความมั่นคงแห่งชาติ; ) or CNS ( th, คมช.), formerly known as the Council for Democratic Reform ( th, คณะปฏิรูปการป ...

, the group that staged the

2006 Thai coup d'état The 2006 Thai ''coup d'état'' took place on 19 September 2006, when the Royal Thai Army staged a '' coup d'état'' against the elected caretaker government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The ''coup d'état'', which was Thailand's f ...

and deposed the

caretaker government A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...

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 ...

Thaksin Shinawatra. After the coup d'état in 2014, Anupong became an advisor to the junta which calls itself "

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), and in August 2014 he became

minister of interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in General

Prayut Chan-o-cha Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; th, ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา, ; born 21 March 1954) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who has served as the Prime Minister of Thailand since he ...

's post-coup government.

Education

Anupong completed his

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/ kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in '' primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

's Phanthasuksa Pitthaya School in 1965 and Thai-British curriculum at

Amnuay Silpa School Amnuay Silpa School ( th, โรงเรียนอำนวยศิลป์; ) is a coeducational private school in Bangkok, Thailand. It teaches kindergarten, primary and secondary levels. The school was founded in 1926, formerly as an all-b ...

the following year. He gained a military education from the Thailand's Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in 1967 (Class 10, a classmate of prime minister-to-be Thaksin Shinawatra) and from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in 1972 (Class 21). He holds degrees in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

from

Ramkhamhaeng University Ramkhamhaeng University (RU) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง) is Thailand's largest public university. It was named in honour of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great of Sukhothai. The university provides an effective and ...

(1993), and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from the Thailand's National Institute of Development Administration (2004) and study high military education at National Defence College of Thailand's Class 26.

Career

Anupong has been appointed to many military offices, including ''inter alia'',

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the 21st Infantry Regiment (Queen's Guard), commandant of the 1st Army Division, deputy commander and commander of the 1st Army Region. Anupong was selected by the Prime Minister to hold the position of the commander in chief of the Royal Thai Army on 19 September 2007, and promoted to the position by

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; ( Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Grea ...

on 1 October 2007. He succeeded coup leader General

Sonthi Boonyaratglin Sonthi Boonyaratglin ( th, สนธิ บุญยรัตกลิน, , ; born 2 October 1946) is a Thai former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and former head of the Council for National Security, the military junta that ruled the ...

. Like his direct successor General Prayut and former defence minister

Prawit Wongsuwan Prawit Wongsuwon ( th, ประวิตร วงษ์สุวรรณ, , ; born 11 August 1945) is a Thai politician who is serving as the First Deputy Prime Minister and previously served as Minister of Defence from 2008 to 2011 during th ...

, Anupong is a member of the "Eastern Tigers" clique within the army. Most of them—like Anupong—started their career in the 2nd Infantry Division (headquartered in eastern Thailand), especially in the 21st Infantry Regiment (Queen's Guards). On 2 October 2008,

Samak Sundaravej Samak Sundaravej ( th, สมัคร สุนทรเวช, , ; 13 June 1935 – 24 November 2009) was a Thai politician who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Defense in 2008, as well as the leader of the Peo ...

, following a civil insurgency of the People's Alliance for Democracy ("Yellow Shirts") demanding his

resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

, imposed a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

throughout Bangkok and appointed Anupong as the leader of the officers in charge. After the Constitutional Court verdict dissolving the People's Power Party and two of its coalition parties, Anupong reportedly led closed-door meetings, convincing

Newin Chidchob Newin Chidchob ( th, เนวิน ชิดชอบ, born 4 October 1958) is a Thai politician from Buriram Province. As a member of several political parties, Newin and his allies eventually joined the Thai Rak Thai Party of Thaksin Shinawat ...

Bhumjaithai Party Bhumjaithai Party (BJT; th, พรรคภูมิใจไทย, , ; 'Thai Pride Party') was founded on 5 November 2008, in anticipation of the 2 December 2008 Constitutional Court of Thailand ruling that dissolved its "de facto predecesso ...

to desert the government coalition, and organising a new parliamentary majority led by the Democrat Party and Abhisit Vejjajiva. On 14 January 2010, Anupong ordered the suspension of Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol, the controversial "Seh Daeng", after an inquiry committee found that Khattiya had publicly proclaimed his loyalty to the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship ("Red Shirts"), a political group supporting Thaksin Shinawatra, breaching military discipline. The following day, Anupong's office in the

headquarters was attacked by unknown parties using an

M79 grenade launcher The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40×46mm grenade, which uses what the US Army calls the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the V ...

. The unoccupied office was slightly damaged. During the 2010 "Red Shirts" uprising, the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva appointed General Anupong chief officer of the ''Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation'' (CRES), in charge of restoring law and order. Thus he was responsible for the bloody military crackdown on the protest movement in mid-May 2010. Anupong retired on 30 September 2010. He was succeeded by General

. After the 22 May 2014 coup d'état, the

junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by a ...

—led by Prayut—appointed Anupong a member of its "advisory board" overseeing security issues. Three months later, on 30 August, he was appointed minister of interior in General Prayut's military-dominated government.

Personal life

Anupong is married to Kunlaya Paochinda ( th, กุลยา เผ่าจินดา). They have two children, Yutthaphong Paochinda ( th, ยุทธพงษ์ เผ่าจินดา) and Wimalin Paochinda ( th, วิมลิน เผ่าจินดา).

In popular culture

* In ''

Thirteen Lives ''Thirteen Lives'' is a 2022 American biographical survival film based on the Tham Luang cave rescue directed and produced by Ron Howard, from a screenplay written by William Nicholson. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edger ...

'' (2022), a biographical survival drama film directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...

, he is portrayed by Vithaya Pansringarm. * In ''

Thai Cave Rescue ''Thai Cave Rescue'' ( th, ถ้ำหลวง: ภารกิจแห่งความหวัง) is a 6-part limited series produced by Netflix, directed by Kevin Tancharoen and Nattawut Poonpiriya. It was released on September 22, 202 ...

'' (2022), a 6-part limited series produced by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

, directed by

Kevin Tancharoen Kevin Harwick Tancharoen (born April 23, 1984) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, dancer, and choreographer. On September 29, 2011, New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. announced that Tancharoen would be helming a big-screen adaptation ...

and Nattawut Poonpiriya, he is portrayed as cameo by Sumet Ong-art.

Notes

References

* Post Today. (2008, 3 September). ''Anupong say 'Stop this civil war. Extra page 2. *

Thai Rath ''Thairath'' ( th, ไทยรัฐ, lit. ''Thai State'') is a daily newspaper in Thai published in Bangkok and distributed nationwide. The paper is a broadsheet published with two sections. The first section is devoted to news. Although the n ...