predecessor successor religion birth_place nationality party office profession primeminister birth_date term_start spouse image article_title term_end name alma_mater
chaiwuti bannawat poonpirom liptapanlop pongsavas svasti pichai naripthaphan buddhism nakhon ratchasima , thailand thai chart -rrb- chart pattana -lrb- 1992-2004 -rrb- pattana puea pandin thai rak thai -lrb- 2004-07 minister of industry minister of energy physician yingluck shinawatra abhisit vejjajiva somchai wongsawat 8 march 1949 9 august 2011 20 december 2008 24 september 2008 temsiri channukul wannarat_channukul . jpg wannarat channukul
 18 january 2012 9 august 2011 2 december 2008 wannarat channukul วรรณรัตน์ ชาญนุกูล chulalongkorn university , university of hawaii
wannarat channukul

wannarat channukul -lrb- , ; born 8 march 1949 in nakhon ratchasima -rrb- is a thai physician and politician .
he is the leader of the chart pattana puea pandin party .
from 2008 to 2011 , he was minister of energy in the cabinet of abhisit vejjajiva .
and from 2011 to 2012 minister of industry in the cabinet of yingluck shinawatra .
wannarat channukul studied medicine at the chulalongkorn university , graduating with an m.d. , and law at the sukhothai thammathirat open university , graduating with an ll.b .
he continued his education at the university of hawaii , receiving a master of public health degree .
subsequently , he worked as a doctor at the maharaj nakhon ratchasima hospital .
in 1992 , wannarat was elected to the parliament to represent nakhon ratchasima province and the national development party .
he was five times re-elected .
from 2004 to 2007 he belonged to the thai rak thai party of prime minister thaksin shinawatra , until the government was overthrown by the military and the constitutional court banned the party .
wannarat 's political faction merged with the thais united party to form the `` thais united national development party '' .
he became minister for energy in somchai wongsawat 's government for three months , until the minor parties broke their coalition with the people 's power party and elected abhisit vejjajiva to be prime minister .
nevertheless , wannarat stayed in office .
before the 2011 general election , he merged his united national development party with the puea pandin party to form the chart pattana puea pandin party , which he now chairs .
after the 2011 election , wannarat channukul led the party into coalition with the successful pheu thai party and was appointed minister of industry in yingluck shinawatra 's cabinet on 9 august 2011 .
in january 2012 , he asked the prime minister for his dismissal for health reasons .
in the 18 january cabinet reshuffle , he was replaced by mr pongsavas svasti .
wannarat is married to temsiri channukul , who is a high school teacher , and the sister of lt. poonpirom liptapanlop , wannarat 's predecessor as minister of energy .
poonpirom again , is married to suwat liptapanlop , who is a chart pattana puea pandin politician as well .
wannarat and temsiri channukul have one son .
dr. wannarat channukul has been decorated with the special class of both the order of the white elephant and the order of the crown of thailand .
