Teeradej Meepien (, , ; born 21 March 1940) is a Thai retired general and politician. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Chief Ombudsman of Thailand. From May 2011 to July 2012, he was the President of the Senate of Thailand who is ''ex officio'' also the Vice President of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

Education

Teeradej graduated secondary from

Saint Gabriel's College Saint Gabriel's College () is a private Catholic all-boys school in Bangkok, Thailand. The school was founded by the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in 1920. The school educates students from grade 1 through grade 12 (K–12). Admission, especially i ...

and then graduated from the

Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA) (; ) is the service academy of Royal Thai Army (RTA). Established in 1887 it has graduated the majority of Thailand's military leaders, many of whom have become Prime Ministers of Thailand, Thai prime m ...

in 1962. In 1968, he took his master's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in Michigan. He has completed courses in army aviation at

Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a United States Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was formerly named in honor of Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, an Army aviator and Medal of Honor recipient. It was previously nam ...

, Alabama and at the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Kansas. Teeradej continued his military education at the Royal Thai Army War College and the

National Defence College of Thailand The National Defence College of Thailand or NDC (; ) is an education organization that provides advanced training for both senior military officers and civilians. It is operated by the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters of the Ministry of Def ...

.Gen. Teeradej Meepien (Ret.) — President of the Senate
Biographical Data, Senate of Thailand, retrieved on 7 June 2012

Military career

Teeradej served as a senator from 1979 to 1981. From 1989 to 1995, he held various executive positions in the

Thai Armed Forces The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF; ; ) are the armed forces of the Kingdom of Thailand. The Highest Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (จอมทัพไทย; ) is the King of Thailand. The armed forces are managed by the Ministr ...

Supreme Command Headquarters The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters ( or the RTARF HQ, is the "mostly ornamental" joint headquarters of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, which is composed of the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Marine Corps, and the Royal Th ...

. From 1996 to 1997 he directed the 114 Coordinating Center of the

Internal Security Operations Command Internal Security Operations Command (; ) or ISOC (; ) is the internal security agency and political arm of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. It was responsible for the suppression of leftist groups from the 1960s to the 1980s. During this period it ...

(ISOC). Simultaneously, he was the Commanding General of the National Defence Studies Institute. In 1998, he was the Director of the War Veterans Organization of Thailand. From 1998 to 2000, he was the Permanent Secretary of the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

Political career

From 2003 to 2007, Teeradej served as the Ombudsman of the National Assembly. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Chief Ombudsman, with the Office of the Ombudsmen now being a three-person constitutional organisation independent of the parliament, under the new constitution. In April 2011 Teeradej was appointed Senator. He was one of the senators selected by a committee and not elected by the people. Subsequently, he was elected President of the Senate who is ''ex officio'' also the Vice President of the National Assembly. He took office on 9 May 2011. He lost his office on 25 July 2012, when a court convicted him for malfeasance during his tenure as chief ombudsman. According to the verdict, Teeradej had wrongfully awarded himself and his fellow ombudsmen monthly meeting allowances. He was given a suspended jail sentence of two years. As a convicted lawbreaker, he automatically lost his office in accordance with the constitution. His deputy speaker Nikom Wairatpanij was elected his successor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meepien, Teeradej Living people 1940 births Teeradej Meepien Teeradej Meepien Ombudsmen Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College Wayne State University alumni Teeradej Meepien Teeradej Meepien