Anand Panyarachun
Encyclopedia
Anand Panyarachun was Thailand
's Prime Minister
twice, between 1991–1992 and once again in 1992. He was effective in initiating economic and political reforms, one of which was the drafting of Thailand's "Peoples' Constitution", which was promulgated in 1997 and abrogated in 2006. Anand received a Ramon Magsaysay Award
for Government Service in 1997.
heritage from his father's side and Thai-Chinese
(Hokkien
) from his mother's. According to Anand himself, Anand inherited his Chinese heritage from his maternal grandmother, whose surname was Lau . He attended Dulwich College
and later read law at Trinity College, Cambridge
, graduating with honours in 1955.
Anand spent 23 years in the foreign service, serving at times as the Ambassador of Thailand to the United Nations
, Canada
, the United States
, and West Germany
. In January 1976 he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the foreign ministry, and played a leading role in ensuring the US military withdrawal from Thailand. Following that year's October coup Anand was branded a communist by the military during the subsequent political witch hunts, presumably for the Foreign Ministry's role in the normalization of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the People's Republic of China. Although the civil service panel set up to investigate the allegations cleared him of any wrongdoing, Anand was put aside into relatively unimportant posts and in 1979 left the public sector for the private sector. He became the Vice-Chairman of the Saha-Union Group in 1979 and the Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1991. He has been a Director of Siam Commercial Bank
since 1984.
, Supreme Commander of the armed forces, and General Suchinda Kraprayoon
, the commander-in-chief of the army, imprisoned the leader of the democratically elected administration of Chatichai Choonhavan
. As in previous Thai coups, the military formed a National Peace Keeping Council
to run the country. To shore up its image and gain the trust of King Bhumibol, the NPKC appointed Anand as interim Prime Minister. It was probably the most sensible act the NPKC ever took.
Anand, closely linked to the palace and held in respect by both the bureaucracy and the business community, proved acceptable to the people and the international community. He was regarded as being astute and disciplined, and had never been associated with any financial scandal.
Upon accepting the position of prime minister Anand was quick to declare that he did not agree with everything the junta had done and that he intended to follow an independent course. He further angered the NPKC by suggesting that the imprisoned Chatichai be released immediately upon a cabinet being appointed.
Anand filled his cabinet with well-known academics, technocrats and ex-bureaucrats with proven records. Various commentators, ranging from the president of the prestigious Thailand Development Research Institute
to the mass-circulation newspaper Thai Rath
, described the cabinet as the most impressive Thailand had ever had. The strong guiding hand of privy councillor Prem Tinsulanonda
could be seen. Amongst those selected by Anand were Prem's previous finance minister and economic advisor. A senior diplomat during the years Prem served as prime minister became foreign minister. The technocratic
orientation of the cabinet substantially diminished the fears of foreign investors.
Arguably the most significant of the reforms was a restructuring of the taxation system, which saw the introduction of a value added tax (VAT) and a reduction in corporate and income taxation. Several measures were taken to free up the flow of funds into and out of the country. Thai nationals were allowed to invest abroad without the approval of the Bank of Thailand
. Regulations were altered for foreign banks to open branches and the ceiling on bank interest rates was lifted. In addition, the process for obtaining official operating licences for factories was greatly simplified, while the method of allocating textile and tapioca quotas was made more apparent. In the energy sector, price control barriers were dismantled.
The government was also able to successfully conclude agreements for a number of large-scale infrastructure projects initiated by the Chatichai administration. A regulatory board to oversee the privatisation and private investment in infrastructure projects was established. The projects themselves were also to be independently approved and monitored by agencies outside the government in order to minimise the opportunities for corruption.
In an attempt to spread the benefits of the country's economic growth, civil servants were given a 23 percent raise in wages, state employers a 20 percent wage rise, and the minimum wage was raised by 15 percent. In addition to this, the Anand government allocated 6 billion Baht in the 1992 fiscal budget to be distributed to villages for their own discretionary spending.
Key accomplishments of Anand's government include:
in September 1991 and Japan
in December 1991, and went on to meetings with President George H. W. Bush
in the United States. He was able to shake off the stigma of being a junta-installed prime minister, instead successfully presenting the image of an administration determined to deregulate, cut red tape, and create an environment conductive to free enterprise.
The Anand government's policies to its neighbours followed the lead of his predecessor Chatichai. Relationships with Laos
improved significantly, with Thailand allocating one-half of its 200 million Baht aid budget to the nation. Thailand under Anand became deeply involved in the Cambodian peace process, while relations with Vietnam
went through a period of fence-mending and confidence-building.
The only foreign relations area where there were serious reasons for criticising Anand's administration was Thailand's soft stance towards the repressive military junta of Burma.
criticised the government for being too "inefficient" and calling for it to resign. Suchinda justify the military's request by stating that there were still communist fighters in the Indochina region. In November and December Anand publicly repeated his views that the country's security did not lie in military might, but in its economic and political development, on one occasion stating "Military might is no longer a guarantee of national security. No nation can feel secure as long as its citizens are deprived of freedom of political expression and of the opportunities for a better and more meaningful life."
Anand also voiced disagreement with junta's draft constitution, although the constitution was ultimately promulgated. At first, he refused to comment as the Constitution Scrutinising Committee, hand-picked by Sunthorn, made changes to what became the final draft constitution. Then on November 16, Anand spoke out against clauses that gave the appointed 360 member Senate the same powers as elected members of the House of Representatives as well as a clause allowing permanent public officials and military officers to hold political posts. Anand suggested that the Senate be reduced in size. The military-dominated Constitution Drafting Assembly refused to accept his suggestions and voted unanimously to pass the draft. Anand's response was simple: "I'm disappointed".
In mid-June the outspoken president of the Labour Congress of Thailand, Thanong Phoarn, mysteriously disappeared. The deputy defence minister, a military man, casually brushed the matter aside, claiming that Thanong had probably fled his wife. He has not been seen ever since.
With respect to the freedom of information, the Anand administration also disappointed many. With the NPKC in full control of the media, blatant censorship was practised of any issue that was critical of the military. Thus, rallies and demonstrations on a wide range of issues of public concern were kept from the television-watching and radio-listening public. The transparency of the denials of censorship by the military-dominated Interior Ministry must have been apparent to Anand, but he chose to do nothing about them.
Anand was succeeded by General Suchinda, who was appointed by Parliament after general elections.
On June 10, Arthit surprised the country by recommending Anand's name instead of Somboon's to the King. The announcement was greeted with almost universal approval and even relief. Only the coalition parties of the previous government were dismayed, turning at first on Arthit, who they saw as having betrayed them.
Four days later Anand announced the formation of his cabinet, which included twenty respected technocrats who had held ministerial portfolios during his previous tenure as prime minister. Top of the lists of tasks for Anand's government was the rehabilitation of the economy, the organisation of free and fair elections, and the removal of top armed forces commanders from their posts.
The Internal Peacekeeping Law which allowed for the use of military force against demonstrators was promptly abolished on June 29, and on August 1, he removed Air Chief Marshal Kaset, General Issarapong, and General Chainarong, the First Regional Army Commander, from their posts.
Anand was succeeded by democratically-elected Chuan Leekpai
later in 1992.
. A fierce critic of the Thaksin
-government, Anand frequently criticised the handling of the southern unrest, and in particular the State of Emergency Decree. He has been quoted to have said, "The authorities have worked inefficiently. They have arrested innocent people instead of the real culprits, leading to mistrust among locals. So, giving them broader power may lead to increased violence and eventually a real crisis." Unfortunately, the situation to deteriorated from 2005 to 2006, with escalating violence, especially among teachers and civilians. Despite much criticism of the Thaksin-government's policies, Anand refused to submit the NRC's final report, choosing instead to wait for the results of the 2006 legislative election.
Anand finally submitted the NRC's recommendations on 5 June 2006. Among them were
The recommendations rejected by Privy Council President Prem, who stated "We cannot accept that [proposal] as we are Thai. The country is Thai and the language is Thai... We have to be proud to be Thai and have the Thai language as the sole national language".
and the International Advisory Board of American International Group
(AIG). Anand is a member of the Carlyle Group
and sits on the Carlyle Group
's advisory board for Asia-Pacific.
He is a member of the Club of Madrid
http://www.clubmadrid.org.
Anand is also a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation
, an organization which works to promote good governance around the world.
He has also served as UNICEF Ambassador for Thailand since 1996. During November 2003 and December 2004, Anand was requested by then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to chair the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change http://www.globalpolicy.org/un-reform/un-reform-initiatives/highlevel-panels/32369.htmlhttp://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/150/32629.html of the United Nations. The panel of former presidents, prime ministers and scholars was tasked to prepare recommendations for possible UN reform.
He is also the founding chairman of the Kenan Institute Asia
, a social and economic development non-profit serving the development needs of the Greater Mekong Subregion. Under Anand, the Institute focused on fostering development partnerships between Thailand and U.S. Organizations. Some of the projects which took place under his leadership included recycling steel slag, implementing low cost HIV-diagnostic testing, building a waste water treatment plant, developing sustainable energy by generating energy from landfill gas
, and building capacity in development.
. Anand had been a sharp critic of Thaksin for several years prior to the coup, and he blamed the coup on Thaksin. He also stated fears that the military junta would fail and that Thaksin could make a comeback. "When the [Chatichai] government disappeared from the scene [after the 1991 coup] there was no fear it could make a comeback. But over the past five years Thaksin and his party have become too powerful. They have consolidated their hold over the government machinery and certain sectors of the armed forces and parliament. So I think it's a more precarious situation." Anand claimed that the coup was well-received by the people and that the military junta's ban against opposition or political activity would not last long. He also noted surprise at the international community's condemnation to the coup.
and Siddhi Savetsila
in their meetings with the US Ambassador, the reports of which were all leaked by Wikileaks. Criticism of the royal family is illegal in Thailand.
of Thailand:
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
's Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
twice, between 1991–1992 and once again in 1992. He was effective in initiating economic and political reforms, one of which was the drafting of Thailand's "Peoples' Constitution", which was promulgated in 1997 and abrogated in 2006. Anand received a Ramon Magsaysay Award
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
for Government Service in 1997.
Education and career in civil service and business
Anand was the youngest child of twelve children of a rich family of MonMon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
heritage from his father's side and Thai-Chinese
Thai Chinese
The Thai Chinese are an overseas Chinese community who live in Thailand. Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most prominent, and most integrated overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 9.5 million people...
(Hokkien
Hoklo people
The Hoklo people are Han Chinese people whose traditional Ancestral homes are in southern Fujian of South China...
) from his mother's. According to Anand himself, Anand inherited his Chinese heritage from his maternal grandmother, whose surname was Lau . He attended Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
and later read law at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, graduating with honours in 1955.
Anand spent 23 years in the foreign service, serving at times as the Ambassador of Thailand to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. In January 1976 he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the foreign ministry, and played a leading role in ensuring the US military withdrawal from Thailand. Following that year's October coup Anand was branded a communist by the military during the subsequent political witch hunts, presumably for the Foreign Ministry's role in the normalization of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the People's Republic of China. Although the civil service panel set up to investigate the allegations cleared him of any wrongdoing, Anand was put aside into relatively unimportant posts and in 1979 left the public sector for the private sector. He became the Vice-Chairman of the Saha-Union Group in 1979 and the Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1991. He has been a Director of Siam Commercial Bank
Siam Commercial Bank
Siam Commercial Bank is a bank from Thailand, based in Bangkok.- History :Established by Royal Charter in 1907, Siam Commercial Bank PCL was Thailand's first bank. At the time of its establishment, the only banks in the country were branch offices of foreign banks...
since 1984.
1st Administration
On February 23, 1991, a military coup led by Generals Sunthorn KongsompongSunthorn Kongsompong
General Sunthorn Kongsompong was the de facto head of government of Thailand from 1991 - 1992, following a military coup d'etat led by Sunthorn and General Suchinda Kraprayoon deposed the government of Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan on February 23, 1991...
, Supreme Commander of the armed forces, and General Suchinda Kraprayoon
Suchinda Kraprayoon
Suchinda Kraprayoon was Prime Minister of Thailand from 7 April 1992 until 24 May 1992.Suchinda, son of Juang and Sompong Kraprayoon, was born 6 August 1933 in the province of Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, and is of Chinese and Mon descent...
, the commander-in-chief of the army, imprisoned the leader of the democratically elected administration of Chatichai Choonhavan
Chatichai Choonhavan
General Chatichai Choonhavan was the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1988 to 1991. He was the only son of Field Marshal Phin Choonhavan, and is of Thai Chinese descent with ancestry from Chenghai District...
. As in previous Thai coups, the military formed a National Peace Keeping Council
National Peace Keeping Council
The National Peace Keeping Council was a Thai military junta that overthrew the civilian elected government of Chatichai Choonhavan in 1991. It was led by Army Commander Suchinda Kraprayoon, Supreme Commander Sunthorn Kongsompong, Airforce Commander Kaset Rojananil and members of the 5th Class of...
to run the country. To shore up its image and gain the trust of King Bhumibol, the NPKC appointed Anand as interim Prime Minister. It was probably the most sensible act the NPKC ever took.
Anand, closely linked to the palace and held in respect by both the bureaucracy and the business community, proved acceptable to the people and the international community. He was regarded as being astute and disciplined, and had never been associated with any financial scandal.
Upon accepting the position of prime minister Anand was quick to declare that he did not agree with everything the junta had done and that he intended to follow an independent course. He further angered the NPKC by suggesting that the imprisoned Chatichai be released immediately upon a cabinet being appointed.
Administration formation
The interim constitution that was promulgated on March 1 reconfirmed the intention of the NKPC to retain substantial control. However, Anand was allowed relative freedom to select his own cabinet members. However, for the entire period of his premiership Anand faced constant pressure from the junta leaders, who tried to influence government decisions in order to gain financial benefits.Anand filled his cabinet with well-known academics, technocrats and ex-bureaucrats with proven records. Various commentators, ranging from the president of the prestigious Thailand Development Research Institute
Thailand Development Research Institute
The Thailand Development Research Institute is a non-profit non-government Thai policy think tank focused social and economic development issues...
to the mass-circulation newspaper Thai Rath
Thai Rath
Thai Rath is a Thai-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok and distributed nationwide. The paper is a broadsheet published with two sections. The first section is devoted to news. Although the news section is best known for its sensationalist coverage of crime and accidents, it also...
, described the cabinet as the most impressive Thailand had ever had. The strong guiding hand of privy councillor Prem Tinsulanonda
Prem Tinsulanonda
General Prem Tinsulanonda is a retired Thai military officer who served as Prime Minister of Thailand from March 3, 1980 to August 4, 1988. He now serves as the Head of the Privy Council of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej....
could be seen. Amongst those selected by Anand were Prem's previous finance minister and economic advisor. A senior diplomat during the years Prem served as prime minister became foreign minister. The technocratic
Technocracy (bureaucratic)
Technocracy is a form of government where technical experts are in control of decision making in their respective fields. Economists, engineers, scientists, health professionals, and those who have knowledge, expertise or skills would compose the governing body...
orientation of the cabinet substantially diminished the fears of foreign investors.
Reforms
Anand's administration proved a more hard-working one that those of his predecessors. The administration worked on its task of implementing a long list of much-needed reforms. Its emphasis on education, public health, exports, agriculture, industry, environment and improvement in living conditions, met with widespread approval. In a Bangkok poll in late July, 1991, 61 percent of respondents felt that the Anand government was more honest than previous administrations.Arguably the most significant of the reforms was a restructuring of the taxation system, which saw the introduction of a value added tax (VAT) and a reduction in corporate and income taxation. Several measures were taken to free up the flow of funds into and out of the country. Thai nationals were allowed to invest abroad without the approval of the Bank of Thailand
Bank of Thailand
- History :The Bank of Thailand was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Bank of Thailand Act was promulgated on 28 April 1942 vesting upon the Bank of Thailand the responsibility for all central banking functions...
. Regulations were altered for foreign banks to open branches and the ceiling on bank interest rates was lifted. In addition, the process for obtaining official operating licences for factories was greatly simplified, while the method of allocating textile and tapioca quotas was made more apparent. In the energy sector, price control barriers were dismantled.
The government was also able to successfully conclude agreements for a number of large-scale infrastructure projects initiated by the Chatichai administration. A regulatory board to oversee the privatisation and private investment in infrastructure projects was established. The projects themselves were also to be independently approved and monitored by agencies outside the government in order to minimise the opportunities for corruption.
In an attempt to spread the benefits of the country's economic growth, civil servants were given a 23 percent raise in wages, state employers a 20 percent wage rise, and the minimum wage was raised by 15 percent. In addition to this, the Anand government allocated 6 billion Baht in the 1992 fiscal budget to be distributed to villages for their own discretionary spending.
Key accomplishments of Anand's government include:
- The establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)
- A highly effective anti-AIDS/HIV policy.
- Electricity market reform, including the introduction of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and the initiation of a 10 year liberalisation and privatisation plan for EGATÉgatÉgat is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
. Many have noted that Saha-Union Group, which Anand chaired, won a major bid to build a large coal fired power plant while Anand was in power. - Award of a multi-billion baht concession to Telecom Asia (today known as TrueTrueTrue may refer to:* Truth, the state of being in accord with fact or reality-Music:* True , 1996* True , 2002* True , 1983** "True"...
) to build and operate two million telephone lines in Bangkok. It was noted by many that General Suchinda, the coup-leader who installed Anand as Prime Minister, was appointed Chairman of Telecom Asia after he was toppled from power. - Suspension of the HopewellHopewell-USA:*Hopewell, Alabama *Hopewell, Arkansas *Hopewell, California*Hopewell, Connecticut *Hopewell, Florida...
rail-train airport link project.
Foreign policy
On the international front Anand performed well. Despite international concern over the coup, foreign administrations had sufficient confidence to resume relations quickly. Anand made visits to ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in September 1991 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in December 1991, and went on to meetings with President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
in the United States. He was able to shake off the stigma of being a junta-installed prime minister, instead successfully presenting the image of an administration determined to deregulate, cut red tape, and create an environment conductive to free enterprise.
The Anand government's policies to its neighbours followed the lead of his predecessor Chatichai. Relationships with Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
improved significantly, with Thailand allocating one-half of its 200 million Baht aid budget to the nation. Thailand under Anand became deeply involved in the Cambodian peace process, while relations with Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
went through a period of fence-mending and confidence-building.
The only foreign relations area where there were serious reasons for criticising Anand's administration was Thailand's soft stance towards the repressive military junta of Burma.
Disagreements with the NPKC
Anand disagreed with the military junta's plans to increase the defence budget. Anand denied the military's request for supplemental funding that would have totalled 53 billion Baht. Junta member Air Chief Marshal Kaset RojananilKaset Rojananil
Air Chief Marshal Kaset Rojananil was an alumnus of the 5th Class of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, Commander of the Royal Thai Air Force, a leader of the National Peace Keeping Council's 1991 coup against the government of Chatichai Choonhavan, Supreme Commander, head of Thai Airways...
criticised the government for being too "inefficient" and calling for it to resign. Suchinda justify the military's request by stating that there were still communist fighters in the Indochina region. In November and December Anand publicly repeated his views that the country's security did not lie in military might, but in its economic and political development, on one occasion stating "Military might is no longer a guarantee of national security. No nation can feel secure as long as its citizens are deprived of freedom of political expression and of the opportunities for a better and more meaningful life."
Anand also voiced disagreement with junta's draft constitution, although the constitution was ultimately promulgated. At first, he refused to comment as the Constitution Scrutinising Committee, hand-picked by Sunthorn, made changes to what became the final draft constitution. Then on November 16, Anand spoke out against clauses that gave the appointed 360 member Senate the same powers as elected members of the House of Representatives as well as a clause allowing permanent public officials and military officers to hold political posts. Anand suggested that the Senate be reduced in size. The military-dominated Constitution Drafting Assembly refused to accept his suggestions and voted unanimously to pass the draft. Anand's response was simple: "I'm disappointed".
Human rights
Anand's refusal to interfere with the junta's actions meant that his administration failed to come to grips with human rights issues. He had a comprehensive Environment Bill passed, but it was ignored by the military, which continued to conduct its corrupt activities. Not long after it had taken power the NPKC announced a huge rural development project that would help solve the problems of rural landlessness and encroachment on protected forests, issues that had for decades occupied the King's attention. The military had promised to resettle more than 1.2 million people to permanent farmlands, but instead callously evicted villagers from forest reserves, where they had lived in some cases for generations, and transferred the lands over to corporate plantations. In almost all cases the army failed to provide new homes and food supplies. When a green activist monk led villagers to protest, he and his followers were attacked and arrested.In mid-June the outspoken president of the Labour Congress of Thailand, Thanong Phoarn, mysteriously disappeared. The deputy defence minister, a military man, casually brushed the matter aside, claiming that Thanong had probably fled his wife. He has not been seen ever since.
With respect to the freedom of information, the Anand administration also disappointed many. With the NPKC in full control of the media, blatant censorship was practised of any issue that was critical of the military. Thus, rallies and demonstrations on a wide range of issues of public concern were kept from the television-watching and radio-listening public. The transparency of the denials of censorship by the military-dominated Interior Ministry must have been apparent to Anand, but he chose to do nothing about them.
Anand was succeeded by General Suchinda, who was appointed by Parliament after general elections.
2nd Government
Suchinda resigned on May 24, 1992, following an intervention by the King that ended the violent military crackdown on massive popular protests against his government. The five-coalition parties that made up his administration still attempted to cling to power, however, despite calls for its resignation by the opposition and the press, and nominated Air Chief Marshal Somboon Rahong, leader of the Chart Thai Party, for the premiership. At the time it looked as if House Speaker Arthit Urairat was all set to submit Somboon's name to the King. Arthit however held back the nomination of Somboon following a meeting with privy councillor Prem, who was interpreted to have been exerting pressure on behalf of the King. The House Speaker instead announced that no decision would be made until the constitutional amendments were passed on June 10, adding that the next prime minister would be a civilian.On June 10, Arthit surprised the country by recommending Anand's name instead of Somboon's to the King. The announcement was greeted with almost universal approval and even relief. Only the coalition parties of the previous government were dismayed, turning at first on Arthit, who they saw as having betrayed them.
Four days later Anand announced the formation of his cabinet, which included twenty respected technocrats who had held ministerial portfolios during his previous tenure as prime minister. Top of the lists of tasks for Anand's government was the rehabilitation of the economy, the organisation of free and fair elections, and the removal of top armed forces commanders from their posts.
The Internal Peacekeeping Law which allowed for the use of military force against demonstrators was promptly abolished on June 29, and on August 1, he removed Air Chief Marshal Kaset, General Issarapong, and General Chainarong, the First Regional Army Commander, from their posts.
Anand was succeeded by democratically-elected Chuan Leekpai
Chuan Leekpai
Chuan Leekpai was the Prime Minister of Thailand from September 20, 1992 to May 19, 1995 and again from November 9, 1997 to February 9, 2001. A third-generation Thai Chinese, Chuan was born in Trang province in a grass-roofed house. The walls of his family's house were woven from strips of...
later in 1992.
Post-political career
Anand rejoined the Saha-Union Group as Chairman after the general elections of 1992. He resigned from Saha-Union Group in 2002.Constitution Drafting Assembly
In 1996, Anand was elected as a member of the Constitution Drafting Assembly and was appointed Chairman of the Drafting Committee. He oversaw the drafting of what became known as the "Peoples' Constitution" of 1997. The constitution was abrogated in 2006 after a military coup that Anand supported. The People's Constitution instituted several important reforms, including:- Decentralisation of government, including the establishment of elected Tambol Administrative Organisations (TAOs) and Provincial Administrative Organisations (PAOs). School administrations was also decentralised, although opposition from teachers has delayed implementation of this reform (see Thaksin Shinawatra#Education policies)
- Establishment of several independent government agencies, including the Election Commission, the Office of the Auditor-General, and the National Human Rights Commission
- Stipulating that candidates for parliament must have at least a Bachelor's degree
- Mechanisms to increase political stability by favouring large parties over small ones, and hence singular governments over coalition governments
National Reconciliation Commission
From March 2005, Anand served as chairman of the National Reconciliation Commission, tasked with overseeing that peace is brought back to the troubled southSouth Thailand insurgency
An ethnic separatist insurgency is taking place in Southern Thailand, predominantly in the Malay Pattani region, made up of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. Violence has increasingly spilling over into other provinces...
. A fierce critic of the Thaksin
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
-government, Anand frequently criticised the handling of the southern unrest, and in particular the State of Emergency Decree. He has been quoted to have said, "The authorities have worked inefficiently. They have arrested innocent people instead of the real culprits, leading to mistrust among locals. So, giving them broader power may lead to increased violence and eventually a real crisis." Unfortunately, the situation to deteriorated from 2005 to 2006, with escalating violence, especially among teachers and civilians. Despite much criticism of the Thaksin-government's policies, Anand refused to submit the NRC's final report, choosing instead to wait for the results of the 2006 legislative election.
Anand finally submitted the NRC's recommendations on 5 June 2006. Among them were
- Introducing Islamic lawShariaSharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
- Making ethnic Pattani-Malay (Yawi) as an official language in the region
- Establishing an unarmed peacekeeping force
- Establishing a Peaceful Strategic Administrative Centre for Southern Border Provinces
The recommendations rejected by Privy Council President Prem, who stated "We cannot accept that [proposal] as we are Thai. The country is Thai and the language is Thai... We have to be proud to be Thai and have the Thai language as the sole national language".
Other positions
Anand is a member of the Trilateral CommissionTrilateral Commission
The Trilateral Commission is a non-governmental, non-partisan discussion group founded by David Rockefeller in July 1973 to foster closer cooperation among the United States, Europe and Japan.-History:...
and the International Advisory Board of American International Group
American International Group
American International Group, Inc. or AIG is an American multinational insurance corporation. Its corporate headquarters is located in the American International Building in New York City. The British headquarters office is on Fenchurch Street in London, continental Europe operations are based in...
(AIG). Anand is a member of the Carlyle Group
Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is an American-based global asset management firm, specializing in private equity, based in Washington, D.C. The Carlyle Group operates in four business areas: corporate private equity, real assets, market strategies and fund-of-funds, through its AlpInvest subsidiary...
and sits on the Carlyle Group
Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is an American-based global asset management firm, specializing in private equity, based in Washington, D.C. The Carlyle Group operates in four business areas: corporate private equity, real assets, market strategies and fund-of-funds, through its AlpInvest subsidiary...
's advisory board for Asia-Pacific.
He is a member of the Club of Madrid
Club of Madrid
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 80 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.Among...
http://www.clubmadrid.org.
Anand is also a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation
Global Leadership Foundation
The Global Leadership Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 2004 by former State President of South Africa and Nobel Prize laureate F.W. de Klerk....
, an organization which works to promote good governance around the world.
He has also served as UNICEF Ambassador for Thailand since 1996. During November 2003 and December 2004, Anand was requested by then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to chair the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change http://www.globalpolicy.org/un-reform/un-reform-initiatives/highlevel-panels/32369.htmlhttp://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/150/32629.html of the United Nations. The panel of former presidents, prime ministers and scholars was tasked to prepare recommendations for possible UN reform.
He is also the founding chairman of the Kenan Institute Asia
Kenan Institute Asia
Kenan Institute Asia , the operational name for the Kenan Foundation Asia, is a leading Thailand based non-profit organization which serves the sustainable development needs of the Greater Mekong Subregion , and Vietnam.Founded in 1996, K.I.Asia works to address the challenges facing South East Asia...
, a social and economic development non-profit serving the development needs of the Greater Mekong Subregion. Under Anand, the Institute focused on fostering development partnerships between Thailand and U.S. Organizations. Some of the projects which took place under his leadership included recycling steel slag, implementing low cost HIV-diagnostic testing, building a waste water treatment plant, developing sustainable energy by generating energy from landfill gas
Landfill gas
Landfill gas is a complex mix of different gases created by the action of microorganisms within a landfill.-Production:Landfill gas production results from chemical reactions and microbes acting upon the waste as the putrescible materials begins to break down in the landfill...
, and building capacity in development.
Support for the 2006 military coup
Anand supported the 2006 military coup that abrogated the People's Constitution and overthrew the government of Thaksin ShinawatraThaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
. Anand had been a sharp critic of Thaksin for several years prior to the coup, and he blamed the coup on Thaksin. He also stated fears that the military junta would fail and that Thaksin could make a comeback. "When the [Chatichai] government disappeared from the scene [after the 1991 coup] there was no fear it could make a comeback. But over the past five years Thaksin and his party have become too powerful. They have consolidated their hold over the government machinery and certain sectors of the armed forces and parliament. So I think it's a more precarious situation." Anand claimed that the coup was well-received by the people and that the military junta's ban against opposition or political activity would not last long. He also noted surprise at the international community's condemnation to the coup.
Criticism of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn
In a private meeting with US Ambassador Ralph Boyce, whose post-meeting Creport was leaked by Wikileaks, Anand was critical of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. Anand noted that although the Crown Prince would succeed his father according to the law, the kingdom would be better off if other arrangements could be made. However, Anand noted that King Bhumibol would not likely change the succession. Anand also said that the Prince's succession would face "complicating factors" he continued interfering in politics or could not avoid embarrassing financial transactions, and that it was the consensus view among many Thai was that the Crown Prince could not stop either, nor would he be able, at age 57, to rectify his behaviour. Anand neither confirmed nor denied that he made the statements. Anand's alleged negative opinion of the Crown Prince was repeated by Privy Counsellor Prem TinsulanondaPrem Tinsulanonda
General Prem Tinsulanonda is a retired Thai military officer who served as Prime Minister of Thailand from March 3, 1980 to August 4, 1988. He now serves as the Head of the Privy Council of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej....
and Siddhi Savetsila
Siddhi Savetsila
Air Chief Marshal Siddhi Savetsila is a retired Thai military officer and a member of the Privy Council of King Bhumibol Adulyadej....
in their meetings with the US Ambassador, the reports of which were all leaked by Wikileaks. Criticism of the royal family is illegal in Thailand.
Royal decorations
Anand has received the following royal decorations in the Honours SystemThai Honours Order of Precedence
State decorations awarded by Thailand take the form of orders and medals. This page lists them by order of precedence.-Royal decorations:# Knight and Dame of the Most Auspicious Order of the Rajamitrabhorn...
of Thailand:
- 1967 -
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King Rama IXBhumibol AdulyadejBhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
Royal Cypher Medal (Third Class) - 1968 -
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Knight Commander (Second Class, lower grade) of The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom KlaoOrder of Chula Chom KlaoThe Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao was established in 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty, and bears his Name... - 1977 -
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Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White ElephantOrder of the White ElephantThe Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam.The Order consists of eight classes:... - 1988 -
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Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand - 1991 -
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Knight Grand Commander (Second Class, higher grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom KlaoOrder of Chula Chom KlaoThe Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao was established in 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty, and bears his Name... - 1991 -
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Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White ElephantOrder of the White ElephantThe Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam.The Order consists of eight classes:... - 2003 -
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Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the DirekgunabhornOrder of the DirekgunabhornThe Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn was established by King Rama IX on 22 July 1991 to be bestowed upon those who have rendered devotional services to the Kingdom of Thailand....
Foreign decorations
- 1961 -
Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic (Third Class), ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - 1970 - Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Grand Gwanghwa Medal (First Class), Republic of KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
- 1971 - Ringtang Jasa (First Class), IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
- 1990 - Grand Officer of the Order of the CrownOrder of the Crown (Belgium)The Order of the Crown is an Order of Belgium which was created on 15 October 1897 by King Leopold II in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State. The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved from service in the Congo Free State - many of which acts...
(Second Class), BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... - 1991 - Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising SunOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... - 1996 - Honorary Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(KBE), United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - 2007 -
Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar StarOrder of the Polar StarThe Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
External links
- Anand Panyarachun's website
- Biography of Anand Panyarachun (United Nations)
- Profile of Khun Anand Panyarachun (Asean News Network)
- Official Website of the Global Leadership Foundation