page_title: Prem Tinsulanonda
section_title: Prem and April 2009 protest of Thaksin's supporters
hierarchical_section_title: Prem Tinsulanonda / Privy councillor and statesman (1988–2019) / Prem and April 2009 protest of Thaksin's supporters
caption_attribution_description: นายกรัฐมนตรี ร่วมงานเลี้ยงรับรองเนื่องในวันกองทัพบก ณ ห้องมัฆวานรังสรรค์ สโมสรทหารบก ถนนวิภาวดีรังสิต กรุงเทพฯ 20 มกราคม 2553 (The Official Site of The Prime Minister of Thailand Photo by พีรพัฒน์ วิมลรังครัตน์)
context_page_description: Prem Tinsulanonda was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, during which time he was credited with ending a communist insurgency and presiding over accelerating economic growth. As president of the Privy Council, he served as Regent of Thailand from the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on 13 October 2016, until the 1 December 2016 proclamation of Vajiralongkorn as King. At the age of 98, Prem was the longest-living Thai Prime Minister.
  During the Thai political crisis of the mid-2000s, he was accused by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his supporters of masterminding the 2006 coup, as well as in the appointment of the post-coup legislature and interim government of Surayud Chulanont. The military junta that ousted Thaksin denied that Prem had any important political role.
  Prem, as the President of the Privy Council, promoted King Bhumibol's ideologies and royal projects, though he sometimes represented himself as being the voice of the king.
context_section_description: Before and during the mass protests of Thaksin's supporters, the UDD, Thaksin started mentioning Prem's name publicly. UDD leaders harshly blasted Prem for meddling in politics, calling him an ammatya, or 'royal puppet', or 'aristocrat', and a threat to democracy as he had never been democratically elected but had been appointed by the king. Prem did not respond to these attacks.
caption: Prem in 2011
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