This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2018) |
Pridi Banomyong | |
---|---|
ปรีดี พนมยงค์ | |
![]() Pridi in 1945 | |
7th Prime Minister of Thailand | |
In office 24 March 1946 – 23 August 1946 | |
Monarchs | |
Preceded by | Khuang Aphaiwong |
Succeeded by | Thawan Thamrongnawasawat |
Regent of Thailand | |
In office 16 December 1941 – 5 December 1945 | |
Monarch | Ananda Mahidol |
Prime Minister |
|
Minister of Finance | |
In office 24 March 1946 – 23 August 1946 | |
Prime Minister | Himself |
Preceded by | Phya Srivisaravaja |
Succeeded by | Vijitr Luritanon |
In office 20 December 1938 – 16 December 1941 | |
Prime Minister | Plaek Phibunsongkhram |
Preceded by | Serm Kritsanamara |
Succeeded by | Pao Pienlert Boripanyutakit |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 12 July 1936 – 13 December 1938 | |
Prime Minister | Phraya Phahonphonphayuhasena |
Preceded by | Phya Srisena |
Succeeded by | Chao Phya Sridharmadhibes |
Minister of Interior | |
In office 29 March 1934 – 12 February 1935 | |
Prime Minister | Phraya Phahonphonphayuhasena |
Preceded by | Phraya Phahonphonphayuhasena |
Succeeded by | Thawan Thamrongnawasawat |
Personal details | |
Born | Pridi[a] 11 May 1900 Ayutthaya, Krung Kao, Siam |
Died | 2 May 1983 Paris, France | (aged 82)
Political party | Khana Ratsadon |
Other political affiliations | Free Thai Movement |
Spouse | Poonsuk Banomyong |
Children | 6 |
Alma mater | |
Signature | ![]() |
Pridi Banomyong NR PChW MPCh MWM GCMG KmstkVO (Thai: ปรีดี พนมยงค์, RTGS: Pridi Phanomyong, pronounced [prīː.dīː pʰā.nōm.jōŋ]; 11 May 1900 – 2 May 1983), also known by his noble title Luang Praditmanutham (Thai: หลวงประดิษฐ์มนูธรรม), was a Thai statesman[2] and professor.[3]: 13 He served in multiple ministerial posts, as regent, and as prime minister in Thailand. He led the civilian wing of Khana Ratsadon, and helped found the University of Moral and Political Sciences and the Bank of Thailand.
Born to a family of farmers in Ayutthaya province, he received a good education, becoming one of the nation's youngest barristers in 1919, at the age of nineteen. In 1920, he won a royal scholarship granted by the King of Siam to study in France, where he graduated from the University of Caen with a master's degree, and received a doctorate from the University of Paris in 1927. In the same year, he co-founded Khana Ratsadon with like-minded Siamese overseas royal-sponsored students. After returning to Thailand, still called Siam at the time, he worked as a judge, judicial secretariat, and professor. In the aftermath of 1932 Siamese Revolution, he played an important role in drafting two of the country's first constitutions and proposing a socialist economic plan influenced by communism scheme, principles and conducts. His plan was ill-received, and Pridi went into a short period of political exile as aftermath of the fight-for-power with his fellow revolutionists. On his return, he took many ministerial posts in Khana Ratsadon governments. His contributions include modernizing Thai legal codes, laying the foundation for Thailand's local government system, negotiating the cancellation of unequal treaties with the West, and tax reform.
Pridi diverged from Plaek Phibunsongkhram after the latter began to display a taste for dictatorial governance in the 1930s, marking the beginning of the long rivalry between the two Khana Ratsadon leaders. Pridi was made Regent during 1941 to 1945, a powerless post at the time. Shortly thereafter, he became leader of the domestic Free Thai Movement during World War II. He briefly became prime minister in 1946, but his political opponents painted him as the mastermind behind the mysterious death of King Ananda Mahidol, and a coup in 1947 cost him his political power. An attempt to stage a counter-coup in 1949 failed and Pridi spent the rest of his life living in exile. He died in Paris in 1983, and his ashes were brought back to Thailand three years later.
His image ranged from that of an anti-monarchist democrat to a republican. The branding of Pridi as a communist and a mastermind of King Ananda's death has since been regarded as politically motivated,[4] which his opponents continued to use even after his death. However, Pridi won every libel lawsuit in Thailand filed against those who promoted such views.[5] He became a symbol of resistance against military dictatorships, liberal politics, and Thammasat University. The centenary of his birth was celebrated by UNESCO in 2000.[6]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha>
tags or {{efn}}
templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
template or {{notelist}}
template (see the help page).
Pridi was included in UNESCO's list of Great Personalities and Historic Events for the year 2000, and this year was declared by UNESCO as the centennial of Pridi. Also, the Université Paris (1 PanthéonSorbonne) in 2000 celebrated the centenary of Pridi and honoured him as "one of the great constitutionalists of the twentieth century," comparing him to such figures as Rousseau, Montesquieu, and de Tocqueville.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search