Bhumibol Adulyadej, titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any Thai monarch, the longest on record of any independent Asian sovereign, and the third-longest of any sovereign state.
Anand Panyarachun is a Thai retired politician who was Prime Minister twice: once in 1991–1992 and again during the latter half of 1992. He was effective in initiating economic and political reforms, one of which was the drafting of Thailand's "People's Constitution", which was promulgated in 1997 and abrogated in 2006. Anand received a Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 1997.
The history of Thailand from 1973 to 2001 saw an unstable period of democracy, with military rule being reimposed after a bloody coup in 1976.
Prem Tinsulanonda was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1980 to 1988.
Black May, also known as "Bloody May", was a series of mass protests and subsequent crackdowns by security forces and police in Bangkok in May 1992. A rally of over 200,000 people led by Chamlong Srimuang was held on 17 May, caused by the extending of the military regime of Suchinda Kraprayoon, the 1991 Thai coup d'état leader. An estimated 52 to 100 protesters were killed, 696 were injured, and 175 had "disappeared" afterwards. King Bhumibol Adulyadej summoned both Chamlong and Suchinda on 20 May, and the Suchinda regime later received a sweeping amnesty along with other law reforms, signed by Bhumibol.
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, also known as "Big Jiew", is a Thai politician and retired army officer. From 1986 to 1990, he was the Commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (RTA), and Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces from 1987 to 1990. In 1990, he founded the New Aspiration Party which he led until 2002. He was Thailand's 22nd prime minister from 1996 to 1997. At various times he has held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Labour and Leader of the Opposition.
Thanin Kraivichien is a Thai former judge, politician and law professor. He was the prime minister of Thailand between 1976 and 1977. He was then appointed to the Privy Council and became its president in 2016. With the death of Prem Tinsulanonda in May 2019, he become the oldest living former Thai Prime Minister.
Pallop Pinmanee (Thai: พัลลภ ปิ่นมณี,RTGS: Phanlop Pinmani, born 25 May 1936 in Sam Phran, Nakhon Pathom as Amnat Pinmanee is a retired Thai Army general who took part in several coups, ordered the massacre of insurgents at Krue Sae Mosque and allegedly played a role in the attempted car-bomb assassination of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. After a 2006 military coup overthrew Thaksin, the military junta appointed Pallop public relations adviser to the Internal Security Operations Command of Thailand. He eventually switched sides and became an adviser to Thaksin's younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra while she was serving as prime minister.
Major General Manoonkrit Roopkachorn is a former Thai military officer, senator and President of the Senate of Thailand. A leader of the "Young Turks" clique of military officers, he took part in the coups of 1976 and 1977, in the unsuccessful coups of 1981 and 1985, and in the 2002 corruption case of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Arthit Kamlang-ek was a Thai general. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 1982 to 1986 and in parallel the Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces from 1983 to 1986. He was particularly influential during the 1980s during the government of Prem Tinsulanonda.
The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand provides the basis for the rule of law in Thailand. Since the abolition of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has had 20 charters or constitutions, an average of one roughly every four years. Many changes followed military coups, reflecting the high degree of political instability in the country. After each successful coup, military regimes abrogated the existing constitution, generally without public consultation.
The 2006 Thai coup d'état took place on 19 September 2006, when the Royal Thai Army staged a coup d'état against the elected caretaker government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The coup d'état, which was Thailand's first non-constitutional change of government in fifteen years since the 1991 Thai coup d'état, followed a year-long political crisis involving Thaksin, his allies, and political opponents and occurred less than a month before nationwide House elections were scheduled to be held. It has been widely reported in Thailand and elsewhere that General Prem Tinsulanonda, a key person in the military-monarchy nexus, Chairman of the Privy Council, was the mastermind of the coup. The military cancelled the scheduled 15 October elections, abrogated the 1997 constitution, dissolved parliament and the constitutional court, banned protests and all political activities, suppressed and censored the media, declared martial law nationwide, and arrested cabinet members.
The communist insurgency in Thailand was a guerrilla war lasting from 1965 until 1983, fought mainly between the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) and the government of Thailand. The war began to wind down in 1980 following the declaration of an amnesty, and in 1983, the CPT abandoned the insurgency entirely, ending the conflict.
The year 1981 was the 200th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Thailand. It was the 36th year in the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and is reckoned as year 2524 in the Buddhist Era.
The Thai Citizen Party (TCP) or Prachakorn Thai Party is a political party in Thailand. It was founded in 1979 and has never been officially dissolved, but lost any political significance in 2001 when it was abandoned by its long-term leader Samak Sundaravej. The TCP had a strongly royalist ideology, was close to the military and positioned on the far right wing of Thai politics.
The 1991 Thai coup d'état was a military coup against the democratic Chatichai Choonhavan government, carried out by Thai military leaders on 23 February. Although the figure head was Sunthorn Kongsompong, there was a military influence from military leaders, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Suchinda Kraprayoon, and Kaset Rojananil in the conflict. Chalerm Yubamrung, a politician, was also involved in the beginning of the conflict which began since 1990 but reached the peak in February 1991 due to a strong executive order of Chatichai. Later in May 1992, protesters calling for democracy were massacred by the military regime, known as 'Black May.'
The year 1982 was the 201st year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Thailand, which celebrated its bicentenary on 6 April. It was the 37th year in the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and is reckoned as year 2525 in the Buddhist Era.
Panieng Karntarat was a Thai politician and retired air force officer. He held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force from 1977 until his retirement on 30 September 1981 during the Cold War period.
The 1981 Thai military rebellion was a military coup attempt to consolidate power by the government of Prem Tinsulanonda, staged by Thai military leaders of Class 7 on 1 April 1981, but a counter-coup by Prem, Arthit Kamlang-ek, and support by the royal family on 3 April led to the coup's failure, turning it into a rebellion. In Thailand, it is known as the "Young Turk Rebellion", referring to the group of military officers that led the coup, or more mockingly as the "April Fools' Day Rebellion", referring to the date of the coup along with its failure. The coup attempt failed despite garnering the support of as many as 42 battalions, the most in Thai history.
The March 1977 Thai coup d'état attempt was a military coup attempt against the military government of Thanin Kraivichien and junta leader Sangad Chaloryu, by Chalard Hiranyasiri on 26 March 1977, but failed within 12 hours. Chalard was executed one month later without trial, in retaliation of the killing of Arun Thavathasin, close friend of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
4th Tank battalion, 1st Division, King's Guard 
RTAF Security Force Command (rebels)
Prem Tinsulanonda 