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 Pr ...
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 (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 Roya ...
, who from 2018 to 2020 was
Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army
The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army ( th, ผู้บัญชาการทหารบก) is headquartered in Bangkok. The commander of the Royal Thai Army is a powerful position that has at times been the springboard to the pre ...
.
Honour
received the following royal decorations in the
Honours System 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
The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...
* 1992 -

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
...
* 1990 -

Companion of the
Order of Rama
* 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 -

Freemen Safeguarding Medal (Second Class, First Category)
* 1989 -

Border Service Medal
* 1964 -

Chakra Mala Medal
* 1989 -

First Class of Boy Scout Citation Medal of Vajira
* 1991 -

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 -
Gallantry Cross With Palm
??? -
Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal First class
??? -
Vietnam Campaign Medal
The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the Fir ...
* :
1970 -
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...
With " V "
1970 -
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 fift ...
With " V " and " Palm "
* :
1989 -

Commander of the
Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia
The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign.
The order was instituted o ...
(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 ...
??? -
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 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 ...
* :
??? -
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 comm ...
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
1931 births
1999 deaths
Sunthorn Kongsompong
Sunthorn Kongsompong
Honorary Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia
Sunthorn Kongsompong
Helicopter pilots
Sunthorn Kongsompong
Sunthorn Kongsompong
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