Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Suchinda New Prime Minister
From: charoe@issm1.memst.edu (Charlie Charoenwong)
Date: 7 Apr 92 22:08:37 -0600
Organization: Institute for the Study of Security Markets, Memphis State Univ

Repost from SEASIAa

Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1992 18:02:42 PDT
From: "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Suchinda Welcomes Opposition

   AP, Bangkok, Grant Peck, April 7 - Gen. Suchinda Kraprayoon, the army
commander who was appointed Thailand's 19th prime minister on Tuesday,
said he welcomes the prospect of a strong parliamentary opposition.
   But it was unclear whether the 58-year-old general had the full
support of the five pro-military parties with which he apparently plans
to form a government. Only several hours after his appointment did party
leaders hold a news conference to issue subdued statements of support.
   Suchinda said he would meet with representatives of the five parties
Wednesday. He said he had not yet thought about Cabinet appointments,
but that potential ministers would have to meet certain conditions,
which he did not specify.
   "I believe an opposition that is strong is a good thing, so the
cabinet has to work harder," he told reporters.
   Suchinda said the political parties should confine their campaign for
an elected prime minister to Parliament, and not bring the issue to the
steets.
   Suchinda has been army commander-in-chief since 1990, making him in
effect the country's most powerful figure because of the military's
dominance in Thai society. By law, he must resign as army chief and from
his second post, supreme military commander, before becoming prime
minister.
   Aside from Anand, all of Thailand's prime ministers since 1977 have
been retired generals.

Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1992 18:03:40 PDT
From: "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Opposition Opposes Suchinda

    Reuter, Bangkok, Kevin Cooney, April 7 - Opposition politicians
joined students on Tuesday in plans to take to the streets to oppose
the naming of Thailand's supreme military commander as prime minister.
    "We will join with the students," Chamlong Srimuang, the popular
former governor of Bangkok, told a news conference attended by leaders
of the main opposition parties.
    Students and democracy campaigners scheduled a rally for Tuesday
night to protest against the likely appointment of army chief General
Suchinda Kraprayoon.
    General Sunthorn Kongsompong, leader of a junta that has overseen a
caretaker government since staging a coup in February, 1991, told
reporters he already had in hand a document naming the next prime
minister.
    Military sources said that document bore Suchinda's name.
    Five hundred people in 16 delegations brought flower tributes to
Suchinda's home on Tuesday.
    Sunthorn is charged by Thailand's post-coup constitution with
carrying the name of the nominee to King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
    A joint communique issued by the opposition leaders said: "Our four
parties will join hands with the people all over the country to call for
a parliamentary democracy."
    General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the main opposition figure, told the
news conference the anti-military parties had petitioned the speaker of
the lower house of parliament to call a meeting of all parties to select
a prime minister who won a seat in March 22 elections.
    No serving general stood in the election.
    Chavalit said he hoped the government media would broadcast news of
the opposition's call.

Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1992 18:05:07 PDT
From: "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Suchinda's Ascent

   UPI, April 7 - Gen. Suchinda Kraprayoon, Thailand's 19th prime minister,
rose to power in the traditional Thai way -- by coup d'etat and by controlling
and nurturing the military. He can also thank the weakness of civilian
political parties.
   The polished, low-key army commander was set on the road to
government leadership as far back as 1958 when he became the leader of
Class 5 of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy.
   "He is smart, careful and thinks everything out in advance," said a
military associate. "He is not like some of our military men who kill
themselves by talking too much."
   Under Suchinda's leadership, Class 5 became the basis of the
strongest faction in the military, commanding the army, the air force
and most other key military positions.
   That put him in position to seize power in the Feb. 23, 1991 coup
d'etat, but it was his political craft and caution that led him to put a
non-military technocrat in as interim prime minister.
   Suchinda demonstrated his deft political touch after the coup when he
rescinded censorship orders by others in his coup group.
   He also impressed business leaders with self-deprecating humor and
assurances that he would do nothing to hurt the economy.
   His appointment of Anand Panyarachun, a respected diplomat and
businessmen, as interim prime minister also earned him marks for
pragmatism.
   Suchinda's only public embarrassment came this year when his wife
reprimanded him in front of fellow officers for accepting a cuddle from
a sexy singer at a Class 5 party.
   Born in Bangkok on Aug. 6, 1933, Suchinda was the son of a station
manager on the state railway and the daughter of a Chinese immigrant.
   Suchinda first studied medicine at Chulalongkorn University before
switching to the military academy where he was considered one of the
brightest in his class.
   After graduation he rose rapidly, gaining initial expertise in
artillery.
   He studied at Fort Leavenworth in the United States and later became
a military attache in Washington.
   As leader of Class 5, Suchinda built up the group into a cohesive
political force to counter the politically active "Young Turks" faction,
made up of Class 7 members.
   The Young Turks were instrumental in putting Gen. Kriangsak Chomanan
into office as prime minister in 1977 and then replacing him in early
1980 with Gen. Prem Tinsulanonda.
   It was the troops led by Suchinda's classmates, however, that kept
Prem in power by fending off coup attempts in 1981 and 1985 by
disaffected elements of the Young Turks.
   After the 1981 coup and the eclipse of the Young Turks, Suchinda rose
from the post of division chief of intelligence, to the post of
assistant chief-of-staff of the army.
   He continued to receive promotions as a supporter of Army Commander-
in-Chief Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh who had won Class 5 support by
promising to retire early so that Suchinda could succeed him.
   That came in 1990, when Chavalit resigned to become deputy prime
minister and then form his own political party.
   By then a civilian, Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan, was prime
minister and soon clashed with the military.
   In February, 1991, with military leaders fearing Chatichai planned to
replace them, the heads of all three military forces arrested the
elected premier and took over the government.
   Suchinda promised a quick return to a form of democracy that would
avoid the corruption seen under Chatichai.
   Suchinda's final moves to power were well-planned.
   A military-appointed legislature paved the way by passing a
constitution that allowed the coup group to select the prime minister,
who did not have to be an elected member of Parliament. It also
established a Senate appointed by the coup group which would be able to
support or oppose any government in a vote of no-confidence.
   The military then backed the formation of a well-financed new party
which won more seats in Parliament than any other party.
   When the party leader, Narong Wongwan, became tarnished by U.S.
statements that he was suspected of involvement in narcotics
trafficking, Suchinda was ready to step in.

Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1992 18:06:19 PDT
From: "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Suchinda's Reign

    Reuter, Bangkok, Vithoon Amorn, April 7 - Thailand's bullish economy
will not be harmed if army chief Suchinda Kraprayoon becomes prime minister.
    Analysts expected him to try to calm criticism by retaining popular
policies initiated by his predecessor Anand Panyarachun.
    "He will survive protests. History shows a government with solid
military backing can be stable," Chainarong Intarameesap, chief
executive of consultant firm CSN and Associates Ltd, said.
    He said opposition to Suchinda was mainly focused on his failure to
stand for elections last month but this should fade in a week without
damaging the investment climate.
    He said he was told in recent trips to Europe and Japan that most
foreign investors would accept Suchinda on the grounds the constitution
does not bar a non-elected MP from heading the government.
    "Japanese investment is a good gauge of foreign confidence in
Thailand. It will not be disrupted so long as there's continuity in Thai
economic policies. It will not plunge just because an army general leads
a government," Chainarong said.
    Vorasit Pokachaiyapat, vice president of investment consultant
Finansa Thai Ltd, said Thai economic growth, projected at 8.4 per cent
this year, "will keep its momentum (under Suchinda) as Thai bureaucrats
and technocrats will remain the backbone of formulating and implementing
economic policies."
    "Foreign companies here will be unlikely to react much to his
appointment. They will adopt a business as usual attitude."
    Merrill Lynch said in a report that Suchinda might need to
compromise on easing the Anand government's many sweeping tax and
industrial reforms since Suchinda's cabinet would contain pro-business
politicians from five coalition partners.
    "It is clear that a coalition government will lack the resolve
demonstrated by...(Anand's) caretaker government to deal with difficult
issues," it said, adding it was unlikely economic management would be
left solely to technocrat policy-makers.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai