Banharn Silpa-archa was the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1995 to 1996.
23 Facts About Banharn Silpa-archa
2.
In 2008, the party was dissolved by the Constitutional Court and Banharn Silpa-archa was banned from politics for five years.
3.
Banharn Silpa-archa was born on 19 August 1932 in Suphan Buri to a Teochew Chinese merchant family.
4.
Banharn Silpa-archa married Khunying Jamsai Silpa-archa and they have three children.
5.
Banharn Silpa-archa dropped out of secondary school during World War II.
6.
Banharn Silpa-archa went to work with his older brother, then founded his own building company.
7.
Banharn Silpa-archa was persuaded to enter politics by Booneua Prasertsuwan, a veteran member of the House of Representatives.
8.
In 1976, Banharn Silpa-archa made his political debut when he was elected a Member of Parliament, representing Suphan Buri Province.
9.
Banharn Silpa-archa joined the Thai Nation Party, a conservative party dominated by the "Rajakru clan" around Pramarn Adireksarn and Chatichai Choonhavan.
10.
Banharn Silpa-archa's party participated in a coalition government under Prime Minister Seni Pramoj and Banharn was appointed deputy minister of industry.
11.
Banharn Silpa-archa was elected to the Senate in 1977, but returned to represent his constituency in the House of Representatives the next year.
12.
Banharn Silpa-archa was re-elected Member of Parliament for Suphan Buri in all following elections, receiving steadily more than 100,000 votes, what made him one of the highest vote-getters in the country.
13.
Banharn Silpa-archa sponsored the construction of schools, bridges, and other infrastructure in his home province, which in turn were named after him.
14.
When his party was a junior partner in the government of Prem Tinsulanonda from 1980 to 1983, Banharn Silpa-archa was Minister of Agriculture.
15.
Banharn Silpa-archa, being one of the main financiers of the party, accumulated considerable influence inside the party, although he was not a member of the originally dominant Rajakru clan.
16.
Banharn Silpa-archa returned to the cabinet as early as April 1992, when he became Minister of Transport in the short-lived government of General Suchinda Kraprayoon.
17.
Banharn Silpa-archa's party went into opposition after early elections in September 1992.
18.
Banharn Silpa-archa took over the leadership of the Thai Nation Party from Pramarn Adireksarn in 1994 and became official leader of the opposition.
19.
Banharn Silpa-archa was involved in numerous corruption scandals, one of which diminished confidence in his administration and caused him to resign.
20.
On 21 January 2008, Banharn Silpa-archa announced that his Thai Nation Party would join a coalition with the People's Power Party, successor to the Thai Rak Thai Party of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
21.
Banharn Silpa-archa died of asthma on the morning of 23 April 2016 at Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital at the age of 83.
22.
On 23 April 2019, a bronze statue of Banharn Silpa-archa was opening in the vicinity of the province's city shrine by the donations of Suphanburi people and the Silpa-archa family contributed to the remaining part to commemorate the things that Banharn has done for Suphanburi Province for over 40 years.
23.
Banharn Silpa-archa has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand:.