Mom Rajawongse Sukhumbhand Paribatra ( th, ม.ร.ว.สุขุมพันธุ์ บริพัตร; , ; born 22 September 1953) is a Thai politician belonging to the Democrat Party. From 2009 to 2016 he was the Governor of Bangkok. He was removed from the post in October 2016 by Prime Minister

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 Royal Thai Army, army officer who has served as the Prime Minister of T ...

who used Section 44 of the interim charter to remove the elected official. The reason given for his ouster was "...because he was involved in many legal cases." He was replaced by Police General

Aswin Kwanmuang Aswin Kwanmuang ( th, อัศวิน ขวัญเมือง, ; ; born 15 February 1951) is a Thai Policain and Former Deputy Commissioner of Royal Thai Police who served as the governor of Bangkok from 2016 to 2022. He is an independent ...

Family

Sukhumbhand was born in Bangkok to Prince Sukhumabhinan and his commoner wife,

Mom ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

Dusadi Na Thalang. Prince Sukhumabhinan was himself a son of Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu, the Prince of Nakhon Sawan, a son of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) with his Queen Consort

Sukumalmarsri Sukhumala Marasri ( th, สุขุมาลมารศรี, , ; 10 May 1861 – 9 July 1927) was a daughter of King Mongkut (Rama IV) and his concubine, Samli (เจ้าคุณจอมมารดาสำลี). Her given name was P ...

and an important minister of the royal government from 1926 until the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. Sukhumbhand was a first cousin once removed or nephew of King

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 ...

(because Bhumibol's father Prince

Mahidol Adulyadej Mahitala Dhibesra Adulyadej Vikrom, the Prince Father ( th, สมเด็จพระมหิตลาธิเบศร อดุลยเดชวิกรม พระบรมราชชนก , 1 January 1892 – 24 September 1929), f ...

and his paternal grandfather, Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu are half-brothers, while Prince

Sukhumabhinanda Prince Sukhumbhinanda or ''Phra Vorawongse Ther Phra Ong Chao Sukhumabhinanda'' (Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: ''Sukhumaphinan'') ( th, พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าสุขุมาภ ...

was an indirect first cousin of Bhumibol), in addition to being related to the current King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his sisters as a second-degree cousin. The title ''Mom Rajawongse'' reflects his royal descent as a great-grandchild of a monarch. Sukhumbhand is divorced from Nuchwadi Bamrungtrakul. His second wife is Savitri Paribatra na Ayudhya. He has two sons, one from each marriage. Since 1986, Sukhumbhand has chaired the not-for-profit Chumbhot-Pantip Foundation.

Education and academic career

Sukhumbhand attended Cheam School and

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

in England. He studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at the Pembroke College of

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1977. He added post-graduate studies of

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the Scientific method, scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities betwe ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, which he completed with a master's degree. From 1980 to 1996, he worked as an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the '' North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is ...

of political science at

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

in Bangkok. From 1987 to 1995, he directed the university's Institute of Security and International Studies. He served as advisor to the Thai

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

' committee on foreign relations from 1987 to 1992, as policy advisor to Prime Minister

Chatichai Choonhavan Chatichai Choonhavan ( th, ชาติชาย ชุณหะวัณ, , ; 5 April 1920 – 6 May 1998) was a Thai army officer, diplomat and politician. From 1986 to 1991, he was the chairman of the Thai Nation Party and served as the Pr ...

from 1988 to 1989, and as advisor to the house committee on parliamentary affairs from 1989 to 1991. From 1992 to 1993, he chaired the Ministry of Commerce's advisory board on international trade. He has taught as a visiting professor at

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

. Sukhumbhand was a member of the

Asia Society The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and around the world (Hong Kong, Ma ...

International Council and the

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

(IISS).

Political career

Sukhumbhand started his political career in the short-lived Nam Thai Party of which he was a founding member in 1994. He soon switched over to the Democrat Party. He was elected member of parliament for Bangkok in 1996 and 2001. In 1999, when he was deputy foreign minister, he volunteered with a couple other Thai officials to take the place of 82 hostages taken at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok by armed gunmen from the "Virulent Burmese Student Warriors". All of the hostages were released unhurt because Sukhumbhand went in the helicopter with the gunmen so they would release all the hostages. From 1997 to 2001, he served as deputy minister of foreign affairs. From 2002 to 2004, he chaired of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats. From 2005 to 2008, he was the deputy secretary-general of the Democrat Party. In 2007, he was re-elected to parliament on the party list. Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin stepped down in late 2008, after the National Anti-Corruption Commission initiated proceedings against him. In the 11 January 2009 election, Sukhumbhand was elected his successor by a large margin, winning 45 percent of votes cast. After four years in office, he was re-elected on 3 March 2013. On 24 August 2016, he was suspended indefinitely by Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Royal decorations

Sukhumbhand has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand: *1996 Knight Commander (Second Class, lower grade) of the Most Illustrious

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์จุลจอมเกล้า; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand ...

*1998 Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

*1999 Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order of Thailand. It wa ...

Family

Education and academic career

Political career

Royal decorations

Ancestry

References

Further reading