Sunthorn Kongsompong ( th, สุนทร คงสมพงษ์, , ; 1 August 1931 – 2 August 1999) was the ''de facto'' head of government of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

from 1991 to 1992, after a military coup d'etat led by Sunthorn and General

Suchinda Kraprayoon Suchinda Kraprayoon ( th, สุจินดา คราประยูร, ; born 6 August 1933) is a Thai retired army general and politician. As the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (1990–1992) he led the 1991 Thai coup d'état i ...

deposed the government of 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 Prim ...

on February 23, 1991. The generals accused Chatichai of

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

, and established the

National Peacekeeping Council The National Peace Keeping Council (NPKC) ( th, คณะรักษาความสงบเรียบร้อยแห่งชาติ) was the name assumed by a Thai military junta that overthrew the elected civilian government of Cha ...

(NPKC) as an interim administration, with Sunthorn as chairman.

Anand Panyarachun Anand Panyarachun ( th, อานันท์ ปันยารชุน, , ; born 9 August 1932) was Thailand's Prime Minister twice: once in 1991–1992 and again during the latter half of 1992. He was effective in initiating economic and p ...

was appointed Prime Minister in March, 1991, but the administration of the country was also executed by the NPKC. Sunthorn left the political office following the May 1992 constitution promulgation, which prohibited members of the military from executing the office of the Prime Minister. His son is

Apirat Kongsompong Apirat Kongsompong ( th, อภิรัชต์ คงสมพงษ์; ; born 23 March 1960) was the Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2020. He currently serves as the Vice-Chamberlain of the Roy ...

, who from 2018 to 2020 was Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army.

Honour

received the following royal decorations in the

Honours System An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sashe ...

of Thailand: * 1987 - Knight Grand Cordon 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 ...

* 1988 - Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand * 1992 - Order of Chula Chom Klao - 2nd Class upper (Thailand) ribbon

Knight Grand Commander 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) to ...

* 1990 -

Companion of the

Order of Rama __NOTOC__ The Honourable Order of Rama ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีศักดิ์รามาธิบดี; ) was established on 22 July 1918 ( B.E. 2461) by King Rama VI of the Kingd ...

* 1955 -

Victory Medal -

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

* 1973 -

Victory Medal -

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

with flames * 1988 - Freeman Safeguarding Medal - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Freemen Safeguarding Medal (Second Class, First Category) * 1989 - Border Service Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Border Service Medal * 1964 - Chakra Mala Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Chakra Mala Medal * 1989 - The Boy Scout Citation Medal 1st class (Thailand) ribbon

First Class of Boy Scout Citation Medal of Vajira * 1991 - King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

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 ...

Royal Cypher Medal 1st class

Foreign honour

* : 1970 - Vietnam Gallantry Cross, with palm

Gallantry Cross With Palm ??? -

Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal ribbon-First Class

Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal First class ??? - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon, with 60- clasp

Vietnam Campaign Medal * : 1970 - Bronze Star Medal ribbon with

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...

With " V " 1970 - Army Commendation Medal ribbon

Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

With " V " and " Palm " * : 1989 -

Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (P.S.M.) 1991 - The Most Gallant Order of Military Service (P.G.A.T.) * : 1990 - Tongil Medal of the

Order of National Security Merit The Order of National Security Merit (Hangul: 보국훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of national security." Grades The order i ...

??? -

Presidential Unit Citation (South Korea)

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation The Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation () is a military unit award of the government of South Korea that may be presented to South Korean military units, and foreign military units for outstanding performance in defense of the Republic o ...

* : ??? - United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon

United Nations Korea Medal The United Nations Service Medal for Korea (UNKM) is an international military decoration established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950 as the United Nations Service Medal. The decoration was the first international award ever created by t ...

* : ??? -

Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) ribbon

Distinguished Service Order (Military) The Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) ( eng, Distinguished Service Order (Military)) is a decoration awarded to members of the Singapore Armed Forces and allied military members for exceptionally distinguished service or merit in senior comma ...

References

2Bangkok.com article about the coup d'etat
*http://www.becnews.com/backissue/f_famous/suntorn-k.html (in Thai) *http://www.politicalfriendster.com/showPerson.php?id=3803&name=General-Sunthorn-Kongsompong

Sunthorn Kongsompong Sunthorn Kongsompong ( th, สุนทร คงสมพงษ์, , ; 1 August 1931 – 2 August 1999) was the ''de facto'' head of government of Thailand from 1991 to 1992, after a military coup d'etat led by Sunthorn and General Suchinda Kr ...

1931 births 1999 deaths

Honorary Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia

Helicopter pilots

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