Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan (, , ; born 25 January 1948) is a Thai businessman and politician who served as the acting

Prime Minister of Thailand The prime minister of Thailand (, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Siamese Revolution of 1932, when ...

following Yingluck Shinawatra's removal from office by the Constitutional Court of Thailand on 7 May 2014 until his deposition in a coup d'état three weeks after taking office. Before becoming acting premier, he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, and before that managed the country's rice pledging scheme.

Early and personal life

Niwatthamrong was born on 25 January 1948. He holds a bachelor's degree in education from Srinakharinwirot University and a master's degree in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

from

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

and is married to Boonphatcharee Boonsongpaisan.

Business career

A close business associate of

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 ...

, Niwatthamrong served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee-Media and Advertising front of

Shin Corporation Intouch Holdings PCL (; formerly Shin Corporation) is a Thai holding company which focuses on the telecommunication industry. It is the parent company of Advanced Info Service (AIS), the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand, and Thaicom, ...

since 1995 and as Vice-Chairman since 2000. He served from 2001 to 2002 as Vice-Chairman of iTV and from 1993 to 1995, director of that company between 2002 and 2008, and a member of the board of directors between 2008 and 16 March 2010.

Political career

Niwatthamrong served as director of the controversial rice pledging scheme, where rice was bought at inflated prices from farmers and subsequently was left to rot due to lack of buyers. On 30 June 2013 he was appointed Minister of Commerce and a deputy prime minister in the cabinet of Yingluck Shinawatra.

Acting Prime Minister

On 7 May 2014, Niwatthamrong became acting Prime Minister following the removal of

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Yingluck Shinawatra and several members of her cabinet from office. On 22 May 2014 he was himself removed from office following a military coup.

Royal decorations

Niwatthamrong has 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 sash ...

of Thailand: * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

* Companion (Fourth Class) of The Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhornราชกิจจานุเบกษ�
ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่สรรเสริญยิ่งดิเรกคุณาภรณ์ให้แก่บุคคลที่ช่วยเหลือผู้ประสบธรณีพิบัติภัย "สึนามิ" [สำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boonsongpaisan, Niwatthamrong 1948 births Chulalongkorn University alumni, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Living people Ministers of commerce of Thailand, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Pheu Thai Party politicians, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Acting prime ministers of Thailand, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Leaders ousted by a coup Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan