19 Facts About Chavalit Yongchaiyudh

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was Thailand's 22nd prime minister from 1996 to 1997.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh served in the RTA Signal Corps and completed advanced training courses at the RTA Signal Corps School, as well as at Fort Monmouth, a US Army Signal Corps School, and with the US IX Corps in Okinawa.

In 1979, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was promoted to major-general and Director of Army Operations.

However, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh believed that the communists could not be defeated by purely military means, but that combating the political, economic and social causes of the insurgency was necessary to destroy their popular support.

In 1982, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was promoted to lieutenant-general and assistant chief-of-staff, and one year later deputy chief-of-staff of the army.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh owed his exceptional career partly to his close relationship to Prime Minister Prem, being one of his core supporters in the army, but to his military, strategic, and political acumen.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh retired from military service in 1990, at the age of 58.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh began his political activity while still serving in the military.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh agreed to make military stations available for an anti-AIDS campaign.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh agreed to help Meechai Viravaidya spearhead a three-year blitz to halt the spread of the disease.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's plan was to make it a dominant ruling party, modelled on the Golkar party of Indonesia's President Suharto.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh used contacts from his time as army commander and head of the "Green Isan" programme to recruit former soldiers, civil servants, and local officials in the Northeast as members of his party.

In March 1992, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was elected a member of the House of Representatives for a constituency in Nonthaburi Province.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh then served as Minister of the Interior in the cabinet of Chuan Leekpai from 1992 to 1994, and was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence in the government of Banharn Silpa-archa from 1995 to 1996.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh announced he would not devalue the baht, but in July 1997 the government had no choice but to devalue the currency.

Subsequently, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh served as Deputy Prime Minister responsible for internal security under Thaksin's premiership from 2001 to 2005 and as Minister of Defence from 2001 to 2002.

On 2 October 2009, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh joined the Pheu Thai Party, which was composed of loyalists to Thaksin Shinawatra.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh insisted that he would be a regular member until the party's executives considered a future role for him.

On 16 May 2022, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh announced he was planning to form a new political party called Siam Civilized Party, although he will not be the leader of such a party.