Somchai Khunpluem, alternatively spelled Kunplome (; 30 September 1937 – 17 June 2019), was a Thai politician, businessman and organized crime boss. He was also known by the nickname "''Kamnan Poh''"(, " subdistrict headman Poh"). Highly influential in his home province of

Chonburi Chonburi (, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and, as part of the district Mueang Chonburi District, Mueang Chonburi, the List of municipalities in Thailand, seventh-largest city in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Ba ...

and the whole

eastern region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to: * Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain *Eastern Region, Ghana *Eastern Region (Iceland) *Eastern Region, Malta *Eastern Region, Nepal *Eastern Region, Nigeria * Eastern Region, Serbia *Eastern Region, Ugand ...

, he was dubbed "godfather of Chonburi" or "godfather of the east" by Thai media. Somchai was long-term mayor of Saen Suk,

Mueang Chonburi District Mueang Chonburi (, , ) is the capital district (''amphoe mueang'') of Chonburi province, eastern Thailand. Geography Neighbouring districts are (from the north clockwise) Bang Pakong district, Bang Pakong of Chachoengsao province, Phan Thong distr ...

Life, business, and political career

Somchai was born as the son of a village headman, the second of eight siblings. He dropped out of school after grade four and started working as a teenager. He began as a restaurant bus boy before starting his own bus service. After some time as a monk and as a soldier, he became the partner of a French businessman active in the fishing industry in 1963. He married Satil Sancharoen, daughter of a fish trader. Later he expanded to the building sector, establishing his company ''Bang Saen Maha Nakhon''. In 1968, he became headman ("kamnan") of Saen Suk sub-district. He opened a liquor distributorship, and later broadened his economic empire to several other industries. Most profitable were his activities in the construction and real estate sectors. He engaged in illegal activities like smuggling strategic goods during the

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

war and the

Cambodian Civil War The Cambodian Civil War (, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) was a civil war in Cambodia fought between the Communist Party of Kampuchea (known as the Khmer Rouge, supported by North Vietnam and China) against the government of the Ki ...

. The national government started to develop the eastern seaboard as an industrial region in the 1980s. Somchai became a key intermediary between the central government and multinational and local investors. This spurred the rise of his economic and political influence which he, in turn, used to provide for a further boost of the urban and industrial development of his home province. In 1989, Saen Suk (which includes the much frequented beach resort of Bang Saen) received the status of a municipality and Somchai, as the only candidate, became its first mayor. After the

Thai Nation Party Thai Nation Party, or Chart Thai Party (, ) was a Conservatism, conservative political party in Thailand. It was dissolved by the Constitutional Court of Thailand on December 2, 2008, along with the People's Power Party (Thailand), People's Power P ...

, which Somchai supported, won the national election in 1995 and its leader

Banharn Silpa-archa Banharn Silpa-archa (, , ; , '' mǎdéxiáng''; 19 August 1932 – 23 April 2016) was a Thai politician who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1995 to 1996. Banharn made a fortune in the construction business before he became a Memb ...

became prime minister, he was often rewarded with government contracts. The combined assets of the Khunpluem and Sancharoen families were estimated on four billion baht in 2004. Somchai enlisted as a canvasser for the

Social Action Party The Social Action Party (, ) was a former political party in Thailand. History The Social Action Party was formed by the more liberal members of the Democrat Party in 1974 under the leadership of Kukrit Pramoj. After Kukrit resigned the offic ...

in the 1970s. He later supported the

Justice Unity Party The Justice Unity Party (, ), which later changed its name to the Liberal Party (, ), was a Thai pro-military and conservative political party established after the military coup d'état of 1991. It represented the interests of the military, bur ...

(1992), the National Development Party (1992-95) and the

(1995-2001). Without holding a high office, he was considered one of the most influential political figures of Thailand until 2004. Whichever party he supported usually won most of the electoral districts of Chonburi Province. By financially supporting parties and candidates, he controlled up to 20 seats in the Thai

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

Murder case

Somchai, together with local councillor Passakorn Homhuan, was charged with the

premeditated murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

of Prayoon Sithichote, headman of a neighbouring sub-district, through hired killers in 2003. They were sentenced to 25 years in jail by the criminal court in June 2004. Pending appeal proceedings, Somchai was set free on terms of a ten million baht bail. The appeals court confirmed the verdict in October 2005. He was also convicted in a

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

case in connection with the construction of a garbage dump, for which he was sentenced to five years and four months in jail. Somchai, however, was absent from the trials, jumped bail and lived in hiding for several years. He was arrested on 30 January 2013 on his way to a hospital in Bangkok's Pattanakarn area.

Family

Somchai was the father of

Sontaya Kunplome Sontaya Kunplome (, ; born 10 December 1963) is a Thai politician. He was appointed political advisor to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in April 2018. Later in September 2018, he was appointed Pattaya Mayor. Early life and education Sontaya ...

, leader of the

Phalang Chon Party The Palang Burapha Party (), known as the Phalang Chon Party until 2023, is a political party in Thailand founded in 2011. It is based in Chonburi Province. The party's key figure is its "chief adviser" Sontaya Kunplome, former minister of tour ...

, president of Pattaya United F.C.,

minister of culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

under

Yingluck Shinawatra Yingluck Shinawatra (, , ; born 21 June 1967) is a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who was the 28th prime minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014. Yingluck was Thailand's first female prime minister and its yo ...

and former

tourism minister The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) * Ministry of Tour ...

under

Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra (, ; born 26 July 1949) is a Thai businessman and politician who was the 23rd prime minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006. Since 2009 he has also been a citizen of Montenegro. Thaksin founded the mobile phone operator A ...

Wittaya Khunpluem Wittaya Khunpluem () was born on June 27, 1965, as an offspring of Somchai Khunpluem ("Kamnan Poh") and Satil Khunpluem. He is Thai politician. He represents the Chonburi province as a member of the parliament and president of Chonburi Provincial ...

, president of

Chonburi F.C. Chonburi Football Club () is a Thai professional football club based in the city of Chonburi, Chonburi province, that competes in the first division in Thai football, Thai League 1, after promotion in the 2024–25 season. The team lifted the ...

, chairman of the provincial administrative council of Chonburi and Member of Parliament representing Chonburi,

Itthiphol Khunpluem Itthiphol Khunpluem (; born 15 December 1973) is a Thai politician who served as Minister of Culture in the second cabinet of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha from July 2019 to September 2023, and as Mayor of Pattaya from 2008 to 2016. Early li ...

, mayor of

Pattaya Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...

and

Narongchai Khunpleum Narongchai Vachiraban (, born 16 February 1981), simply known as Tum (), is a Thai former professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. He previously played for six other club sides in Thailand and Vietnam. International career Na ...

, Mayor of Saensuk Municipality.

Death

Somchai died of colon cancer at Samitivej Chonburi Hospital on 17 June 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khunpluem, Somchai 2019 deaths 1937 births

Somchai Khunpluem Somchai Khunpluem, alternatively spelled Kunplome (; 30 September 1937 – 17 June 2019), was a Thai politician, businessman and organized crime boss. He was also known by the nickname "''Kamnan Poh''"(, " subdistrict headman Poh"). Highly influent ...