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.
Thai Nation Party, or Chart Thai Party was a conservative political party in Thailand. It was dissolved by the Constitutional Court of Thailand on December 2, 2008, along with the People's Power Party and the Neutral Democratic Party, for having violated electoral laws in the 2007 Thai general election. Thereafter, most MPs founded the Chart Thai Pattana Party, which became the Thai Nation Party's successor.
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.
Suchinda Kraprayoon is a Thai retired army general and politician. As the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (1990–1992) he led the 1991 Thai coup d'état in February and was a member of the junta called "National Peace Keeping Council". A year after the coup, on 7 April 1992 he was appointed Prime Minister of Thailand. This sparked mass protests that were violently suppressed during Black May which finally led to his resignation on 24 May 1992.
Chamlong Srimuang is a Thai activist and former politician. A former general, he was a leader of the "Young Turks" military clique, founded and led the Palang Dharma Party, served for six years as governor of Bangkok, led the anti-military uprising of May 1992, and is a prominent member of the People's Alliance for Democracy, a group strongly opposed to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Chamlong had supported the military junta that overthrew Thaksin in a coup. A devout Buddhist and follower of the Santi Asoke sect, he is now celibate, a vegetarian, and claims to have no worldly possessions. Chamlong Srimuang received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in the category of Government Service in 1992.
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 National Peace Keeping Council (NPKC) was the name assumed by a Thai military junta that overthrew the elected civilian government of Chatichai Choonhavan in 1991. It was led by Army Commander Suchinda Kraprayoon, Supreme Commander Sunthorn Kongsompong, Air Force Commander Kaset Rojananil, and members of the fifth class of Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. After the March 1992 general election, General Suchinda was appointed prime minister. He resigned following a public uprising and pressure from King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The Justice Unity Party, which later changed its name to the Liberal Party, was a Thai pro-military and conservative political party established after the military coup d'état of 1991. It represented the interests of the military, bureaucracy and provincial business owners.
Sonthi Boonyaratglin is a Thai former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and former head of the Council for Democratic Reform, the military junta that ruled the kingdom. He was the first Muslim in charge of the army of the mostly Buddhist country. On 19 September 2006, he became the de facto head of government of Thailand after overthrowing the elected government in a coup d'état. After retiring from the Army in 2007, he became deputy prime minister, in charge of national security.
The Palang Dharma Party was a Buddhist-inspired political party in Thailand founded by Chamlong Srimuang in 1988, associated with the Santi Asoke sect of Buddhism. The Thai word tham can be used to refer both to "morality", and "dharma", the teachings of Buddhism. Phak Phalang Tham was a political party, not to be confused with its precursor, Ruam Phalang, the campaign group that backed Chamlong Srimuang in the 1985 Bangkok gubernatorial election. To some extent, the PDP evolved into a political party from Ruam Phalang. The latter group was largely made up of Santi Asoke devotees, former Young Turks, and other political activists and community leaders. Many of the PDP's early members were drawn from the ranks of Ruam Phalang.
Prinya Thaewanarumitkul is a Thai legal scholar specialising in public law. He is a Vice Rector for Administration and Sustainability at Thammasat University.
The Social Action Party was a former political party in Thailand.
Narong Wongwan was a Thai politician and tobacco industrialist. He was a long-term member of parliament representing Phrae, leader of the Solidarity Party and the Justice Unity Party. He was publicly known as the "godfather" (jao pho) of Phrae or even "godfather of the North".
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.
Jatuporn Prompan is a Thai politician and activist. He is one of the core leaders of the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), also known as the "Red Shirts", and a former Member of Parliament of the Pheu Thai Party. In July 2017, he was given a one-year prison sentence for defamation.
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 1985 Thai military coup attempt was a military coup attempt against the government of Prem Tinsulanonda, by former Thai military leaders on 9 September 1985, but a counter-coup by Prem government in the morning led to surrender of the coup forces.
The House of Representatives of Thailand of 2023 consists of 500 members elected in the 14 May 2023 general election, who, together with 250 members of the appointed Senate, form the National Assembly of Thailand. It is the second parliament to be convened in accordance with the 2017 constitution of Thailand, which followed the 2014 military coup.
