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 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 1 December 2016, when Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed King. At the age of 98, Prem was the longest-living Thai Prime Minister. He is also the oldest regent of any country, surpassing Bavarian Prince Regent Luitpold's record, when he became the regent for king Rama X.
Chatichai Choonhavan was a Thai army officer, diplomat and politician. From 1986 to 1991, he was the chairman of the Thai Nation Party and served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from August 1988 until the 1991 coup d'état.
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.
In 2005 and 2006, a series of events occurred in Thailand as a result of public anger with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that was supported by Sondhi Limthongkul and his coalitions. It led a military coup that concluded in the overthrow of the Thai Rak Thai government in September 2006, the flight of Thaksin after the court verdict, and the establishment of the junta government led by Surayud Chulanont, a favourite of privy councillor and senior statesman Prem Tinsulanonda.
Siddhi Savetsila was a Thai air force officer and politician. After finishing his military career with the rank of air chief marshal, he served as the foreign minister of Thailand from 1980 to 1990. In 1991, he became a member of the Privy Council of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He was the president of the united nations security council in 1985 with Mom Luang Birabhongse Kasemsri.
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 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.
Banharn Silpa-archa was a Thai politician. He was the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1995 to 1996. Banharn made a fortune in the construction business before he became a Member of Parliament representing his home province of Suphan Buri. He held different cabinet posts in several governments. In 1994, he became the leader of the Thai Nation Party. In 2008, the party was dissolved by the Constitutional Court and Banharn was banned from politics for five years.
The 2006 Thai interim civilian government is the Thai provisional civilian government headed by Interim Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont. It was appointed on 1 October 2006 by the Council for National Security, the initial post-coup interim military government led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, which had overthrown the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup on 19 September 2006. The interim government operated under an interim constitution, promulgated that same day.
Lek Nana was a Thai businessman and politician. He was one of the founders of Thailand's Democrat Party at the end of World War II. Lek Nana served as Deputy Foreign Minister as well as Minister of Science, Technology, and Energy. A Muslim of Gujarati ancestry, he was a senior member of the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand. The Nana area on Sukhumvit Road derives its name from him.
Beginning in 2008, there was worsening conflict between the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the People's Power Party (PPP) governments of Prime Ministers Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat. It was a continuation of the 2005–2006 political crisis, when PAD protested against the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. PAD followers usually dressed in yellow, yellow being the royal color of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and were called "yellow shirts". National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) followers, known as supporters of the deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, dressed in red and were widely called "red shirts".
A series of political demonstrations and following unrest occurred in Thailand from 26 March to 14 April 2009 in Bangkok and Pattaya against the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva and the military crackdown that followed. Up to 100,000 people demonstrated in central Bangkok at the height of the protests. The crackdown is also known in Thailand as "Bloody Songkran", referring to the Thai holiday of Songkran, which takes place on 13–15 April.
Suthep Thaugsuban is a Thai former politician and former Member of Parliament for Surat Thani province. Until 2011, he was secretary-general of the Democrat Party and a deputy prime minister under Abhisit Vejjajiva. He resigned his seat in Parliament in November 2013 to become the self-appointed Secretary-general of the People's Democratic Reform Committee, which was conducting mass protests trying to unseat the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. After the military coup of May 22, 2014, Suthep was temporarily detained and placed under arrest by the new junta. He was released after four days, retired from politics, and entered Buddhist monastichood from July 2014 to July 2015. Since, he became the leader of the Muan Maha Prachachon for Reform Foundation that backed the junta sponsored Thai constitutional referendum, which had been put to a national referendum on 7 August 2016.
Trairong Suwankiri is a Thai politician. Member of United Thai Nation Party. He was deputy prime minister in the cabinet of Abhisit Vejjajiva, and vice leader of the Democrats. His name, Trairong means tricolour and is the name of the Thai national flag. In parliament and public he is known for his jokes and his heavy Southern accent.
Pramarn Adireksarn was a Thai military officer and politician. He was a co-founder and chairman of the Thai Nation Party, deputy prime minister and minister in several cabinets.
Prayut Chan-o-cha is a former Thai politician and army officer who became the 29th prime minister of Thailand after seizing power in the 2014 coup d'état and served until 2023. He was concurrently the minister of defence in his own government from 2019 to 2023. Prayut served as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army from 2010 to 2014 and led the coup d'état which installed the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the military junta which governed Thailand between 22 May 2014 and 10 July 2019.
Korn Dabbaransi is a Thai politician. He was the leader of the National Development Party from 1998 to 2003. Korn served as deputy prime minister and as a cabinet minister in several governments. He currently serves as the President of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association.
Booneua Prasertsuwan, also spelled Boon-eau Prasertsuwan, was a Thai politician from Suphan Buri Province. Prasertsuwan was first elected to the national House of Representatives in 1957 and won election to the House for 10 consecutive elections from 1957 to 1996. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand from 1995 to 1996. He is credited with persuading Banharn Silpa-archa, the former Prime Minister of Thailand from 1995 to 1996, to enter politics.
The year 1988 was the 207th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Thailand. It was the 43nd year in the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and is reckoned as year 2531 in the Buddhist Era.
