Surayud Chulanont

President of the Privy Council

28 August 1943 Prachinburi, Thailand

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Incumbent

Thai politician Surayud Chulanont TCW MPCh MWM PC KmstkNO SSM PGAT SPMKสุรยุทธ์ จุลานนท์President of the Privy CouncilIncumbentAssumed office 2 January 2020MonarchVajiralongkornPreceded by Prem TinsulanondaPrime Minister of ThailandIn office 1 October 2006 – 29 January 2008MonarchBhumibol AdulyadejPreceded by Sonthi Boonyaratglin (President of the Administrative Reform Council)Succeeded by Samak SundaravejMinister of InteriorIn office 3 October 2007 – 6 February 2008Prime Minister himselfPreceded by Aree Wong-arayaSucceeded by Chalerm YubamrungSupreme Commander of the Armed ForcesIn office 1 October 2002 – 30 September 2003Preceded by Narong YuthavongSucceeded by Somtat AttanandCommander in Chief of the Royal Thai ArmyIn office 1 October 1998 – 30 September 2002Preceded by Chettha ThannajaroSucceeded by Somtat Attanand Personal detailsBorn (1943-08-28 ) 28 August 1943 (age 77) Prachinburi, ThailandPolitical partyIndependentHeight1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)Spouse(s)Duangphon Rattanakri (div.) Chitravadee ChulanontAlma materChulachomklao Royal Military Academy National Defence College of ThailandProfessionSoldierSignatureMilitary serviceAllegiance  ThailandBranch/service Royal Thai ArmyRank GeneralCommandsCommander-in-Chief Supreme Commander Commanding General of the Royal Thai Army Special Warfare CommandBattles/wars Cold War Communist insurgency in Thailand Black May 1999 East Timorese crisis International Force East Timor Operation Pochentong 1 War on Drugs Surayud Chulanont (Thai: สุรยุทธ์ จุลานนท์ , RTGS: Surayut Chulanon , IPA:  ; born 28 August 1943) is a Thai politician. He was the Prime Minister of Thailand and head of Thailand's interim government between 2006 and 2008. He is a former supreme commander of the Royal Thai Army and is currently Privy Councilor to King Vajiralongkorn. Surayud came from a military family, but his father defected from the Royal Thai Army to the Communist Party of Thailand when Surayud was a boy. Surayud joined the Thai Army and rose to power as an aide to General Prem Tinsulanonda. He commanded troops during Bloody May, the violent 1992 crackdown on anti-government protesters, but he denied giving his men the order to shoot protesters. He was promoted to army commander during the government of Chuan Leekpai and was promoted to supreme commander in 2003, under the government of Thaksin Shinawatra. Upon his retirement from the army, he was appointed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej to the Privy Council of Thailand. Surayud and Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda played a key role in the promotion of General Sonthi Boonratklin to the position of army commander. Sonthi overthrew the government of Shinawatra in a coup on 19 September 2006 and implored Surayud to be the head of interim government. Surayud's government was controversial. There was a significant worsening in perceived levels of corruption during his government. Surayud's Deputy Finance Minister, Sommai Pasee, was sentenced to jail for abuse of power. Surayud raised the military budget by 35% and was accused of economic mismanagement, rampant human rights abuses, and flip-flopping on numerous policies. Article 19 ranked Thailand as falling behind Cambodia and Indonesia in terms of freedom of expression. Thailand's economic growth rate slowed to the lowest level in five years and was ranked the lowest in the region. However, Surayud was praised for apologising for atrocities committed by the Thai military fighting the South Thailand insurgency, although the apology was accompanied by a sharp escalation in violence. He has been accused of forest reserve encroachment (a charge that was not investigated since the statute of limitations had run out by two years) and of illegally acquiring train carriages for display in his forest home. He is married to Chitravadi Santhadwet Chulanont (Thai: จิตรวดี สันทัดเวช ) and has three sons namely Captain Non, Khao and Nam.