Prommin Lertsuridej
Encyclopedia
Prommin Lertsuridej, M.D. (Thai:พรหมินทร์ เลิศสุริย์เดช) (born 5 November 1954) was a Thai
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...

 politician, former student leader, former Secretary General to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
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....

, former Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs, and former Minister of Energy in the Thaksin government. After a 2006 military coup overthrew the Thaksin government, Prommin was arrested and detained by the junta for three weeks. He was released from captivity on 1 October 2006. Prommin is married to Mattaya Lertsuridej, M.D. and has 2 children.

Student leader

As a pre-medical student at Mahidol University
Mahidol University
Mahidol University is a public research university in Bangkok, Thailand. Established back in 1888 as School of Medical Practitioners, Siriraj Hospital and reorganized in 1943 as University of Medical Sciences . The university originally focused on Health Sciences but also expanded to other...

, Prommin played a leading role in the student democratic movement after the mass protests against the military regime in 1973. "When I was twenty, I assumed a critical position that resulted in the loss of lives of several of my friends. It is still in my heart. So I don't want to relive that haunting experience again", said Prommin. His role in the burgeoning democratic movement continued until the 6 October 1976 massacre
6 October 1976 Massacre
The Thammasat University Massacre, or Massacre of 6 October 1976 , was an attack on students and protesters that occurred on the campus of Thammasat University and at Sanam Luang in Bangkok. Students from various universities were demonstrating against the return to Thailand of Field Marshal...

, when the military brutally cracked down on students at Thammasat University
Thammasat University
Thammasat University , or in brief TU , is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics , reflecting the political fervor of the time...

.

Prommin joined thousands of students in leaving the cities and joining the Communist Party of Thailand
Communist Party of Thailand
The Communist Party of Thailand - CPT was a Marxist-Leninist, Communist political party in Thailand, active from 1942 until the 1990s. Initially known as Communist Party of Siam the party was founded officially on the 1st of December 1942, although communist activism in the country began as early...

 in its insurgency against the military dictatorship. Joining him were several comrades that would become allies in the establishment of the Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

 party, like Chaturon Chaisang, Prapat Panyachatraksa, and Surapong Suebwonglee. After 4 years of fighting, the Communist Party collapsed, and Prommin and his comrades laid down their arms under a government amnesty.

Medical education and career

After returning to Bangkok, Prommin resumed his medical studies, graduating with a B.S. from Mahidol in 1982. He completed his medical degree from Mahidol University's Ramathibodi Hospital in 1984.

From 1985 to 1988, Prommin was Director of Nong Song Hong Hospital in Khonkaen. He later completed a Pearson
Pearson
Pearson may refer to:In places:*Pearson, California *Pearson, Georgia, a US city*Pearson, Texas, an unincorporated community in the US*Pearson, Victoria, a ghost town in Australia....

Fellowship (funding by IDRC
International Development Research Centre
The International Development Research Centre is a Canadian Crown Corporation created by the Parliament of Canada that supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development...

) in public administration from Ottawa University
Ottawa University
Ottawa University is a private, non-profit, faith-based liberal arts college located in Ottawa, Kansas. It was founded in 1865 and is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA...

 and Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...

, Canada and became Director of Phon Hospital, Khonkaen. From 1991 to 1993 he became Head of the Health Planning Section at the Thai Ministry of Public Health. He was admitted to the Board of Preventive Medicine of Thailand in 1992.

Business career

He began his business career in 1993 as Senior Manager of Business Development with IBC Cable TV (which later merged with UTV to become United Broadcasting Corporation). IBC was launched by Thaksin Shinawatra
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....

. he later became General Manager of IBC in Cambodia and Laos. In 1995, he was promoted to become IBC's General Manager. From 1997 to 2000, he was appointed VP of Ground Services for Shin Satellite
Shin Satellite
THAICOM Public Company Limited, was formerly known as Shin Satellite Plc , is Thailand's first satellite operator. It is a subsidiary of Shin Corporation, the biggest telecommunications conglomerate in Thailand...

. From November 2000 to February 2001, he was Managing Director of C.S. Communication, another Shin Corporation
Shin Corporation
Shin Corporation is one of the largest conglomerates in Thailand.- History :It was founded in 1983 as Shinawatra Computer by Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand, and took on its current name in 1999, by using the first four letters of his last name...

 company.

Political appointments

After Thaksin Shinawatra
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....

's Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

 party won a landslide election victory in the 2001 elections
Thailand legislative election, 2001
General elections were held in Thailand on January 6, 2001. 500 seats in the House of Representatives were at stake...

, Prommin was appointed Secretary General to the Prime Minister. Prommin was Thaksin's primary liaison in managing groups demanding justice and compensation from the government. The role allowed him to utilize the strong understanding of protestor psychology he developed during his student days.

From October 2002 to February 2003, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs, replacing Somkid Jatusripitak
Somkid Jatusripitak
Somkid Jatusripitak , Chinese: 曾汉光, Thai politician, is a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand. He was a leader and cofounder of the populist Thai Rak Thai party. His wife, Anurachanee Jatusripitak, teaches at Chulalongkorn University...

. This gave him responsibility for all key economic portfolios, including the Finance Ministry, the Commerce Ministry, the Industry Ministry, the Energy Ministry, the National Energy Policy Committee, the Board of Investment, and the privatisation of state enterprises. Key tasks included managing the 650 billion baht debts of the Financial Institutions Development Fund, price controls for agricultural products, and hallmark Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

 grass-roots programs like farmer debt suspension, One Tambon One Product
One Tambon One Product
One Tambon One Product is a local entrepreneurship stimulus program designed by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra during the 2001-2006 Thai Rak Thai government. The program aims to support the unique locally made and marketed products of each Thai tambon...

 (OTOP), the Village Fund, and the People's Bank.

From February 2003 to March 2005, he was Minister of Energy, primarily responsible for controversial issues like privatization of EGAT
Égat
Égat is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...

 and price controls.

Political crisis and detention during the military coup

The Thaksin government faced rising opposition from its landslide victory in the 2005 House election. As tensions mounted to critical proportions, Prommin Lertsuridej, almost in tears, gave a public statement in August 2006 begging all sides, both within the government and in the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy
People's Alliance for Democracy
The People's Alliance for Democracy also called the National Liberation Alliance - กลุ่มพันธมิตรกู้ชาติ, Thai Patriots Network or the Yellow Shirts - เสื้อเหลือง - was originally a coalition of protesters against Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand. Its leaders include...

 to try to refrain from violence. His plea fell on deaf ears, with the Bangkok Post calling it an "absurd call."

On 19 September 2006, the Thai military seized power while Thaksin and several other senior government leaders were overseas. Prommin was immediately arrested. He was released from captivity on 1 October 2006.
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