46 Facts About Saprang Kalayanamitr

General Saprang Kalayanamitr was an officer of the Royal Thai Army, Assistant Secretary-General of the Council for National Security, Commander of the junta's 14,000-man anti-protest force, chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports of Thailand, and Chairman of the Boards of TOT and CAT Telecom, two major Thai state-owned telecommunication companies.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was a key leader of the September 2006 coup that overthrew the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Saprang Kalayanamitr fired the President of TOT for questioning an 800 million baht donation that the agency made to the Army.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was considered one of the top contenders to lead the army and the junta after CNS leader Sonthi Boonyaratkalin's mandatory retirement in 2007.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was born into a military family on 8 July 1948 in Lampang Province.

Saprang Kalayanamitr graduated from the 7th Class of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School and the 18th Class of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy.

Saprang Kalayanamitr's classmates included General Paisan Katanyu, Admiral Bannawit Kengrien, and General Lertrat Rattavanich.

Saprang Kalayanamitr later graduated from the 43rd class of the National Defence College of Thailand in 2001.

Saprang Kalayanamitr started his military career in 1969 as rifle platoon leader in the 3rd Infantry Battalion, 4th Regimental Combat Team.

Saprang Kalayanamitr claimed to have fought 200 battles during the course of his military career.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was appointed commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment in 1982, stationed in Nakhon Sawan Province.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was then promoted to Regimental Commanding Officer of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in 1990.

In 2004, it was strongly rumoured that Saprang Kalayanamitr might be promoted to command the 4th Army, replacing General Pongsak Ekbannasingh.

In July 2006, Saprang Kalayanamitr gave an interview where he stated that Thai politics was below standard and that the Kingdom's leadership was weak.

Saprang Kalayanamitr denied that such criticism constituted military interference in politics.

Saprang Kalayanamitr played a key role on the evening of 19 September 2006, securing Thaksin's home town and power base of Chiang Mai.

On 27 December 2006, it was revealed that the Thai Cabinet had approved over half a billion baht worth of funding for a 14,000-man secret, anti-protest, special operations force, of which General Saprang Kalayanamitr was the commander.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was appointed by the junta to become chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports of Thailand and Chairman of the Boards of TOT and CAT Telecom, two major state-owned telecommunication companies.

Saprang Kalayanamitr's first move as TOT Chairman was to hand-pick three Army colonels and vocal Thaksin-critic Vuthiphong Priebjrivat to sit on the state enterprise's board of directors.

Saprang Kalayanamitr transferred TOT President Somkuan Bruminhent to an inactive position and appointed Vuthiphong new president.

Saprang Kalayanamitr immediately accused the Army of using the TOT as an unmonitored slush fund.

Saprang Kalayanamitr claimed that an unnamed Army unit had requested that TOT buy 800 million baht worth of electronic equipment.

Saprang Kalayanamitr denied that there was any lack of transparency in the request for financial support.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was fired and expelled from the board soon after refusing to sign off on the deal.

Saprang Kalayanamitr refused to authorize urgent repairs on the airport tarmac, despite warnings from engineers.

On Tuesday 27 February 2007, Saprang Kalayanamitr led a 13-member delegation to Europe, on what was claimed to be a week-long trip to study safety and security measures at major European airports.

Saprang Kalayanamitr denied any wrongdoing and claimed he was the victim of a smear campaign.

Saprang Kalayanamitr then summoned the leader of the AoT labour union in order to identify who leaked information about the trip to his accusers.

Saprang Kalayanamitr accused Thaksin of spying on the military while he was Prime Minister.

Saprang Kalayanamitr suspected that Oliver Jufer, a Swiss man who was jailed for lese majeste for spraying paint on a portrait of the image of King Bhumibol, was hired by somebody to perform his vandalism.

Saprang Kalayanamitr had a public confrontation with former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh regarding the 2006 Bangkok New Year's Eve bombings after Chavalit accused him of incompetence.

In May 2007, Saprang Kalayanamitr claimed that he had information regarding the seizure of an instructional manual on terrorism in Bangkok from a London apartment by English soldiers and police.

Saprang Kalayanamitr said he could not disclose any further information, but told the public to connect the dots themselves.

Saprang Kalayanamitr later clarified his remark, saying the Bangkok terrorism manual discovery had been made in the early 1990s.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was implicated in the resignation of Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula on 28 February 2007.

Saprang Kalayanamitr's brother, Chienchuang, was a key financial advisor to Prachai Liaophairat, the estranged founder of TPI.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was an extremely vocal critic of those whom he perceived as his political opponents.

Saprang Kalayanamitr said that it was necessary to shoot the dog with a machine gun.

Saprang Kalayanamitr urged decisive action so that the public would believe that good had triumphed over evil.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was considered a strong contender to lead the junta given the mandatory retirement of Army commander-in-chief and CNS President Sonthi Boonyaratkalin in September 2007.

Saprang Kalayanamitr unofficially competed with fellow Assistant Army Commander Anupong Paochinda, who, as 1st Army Area Commander, secured Bangkok on the night of the coup.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was sidelined in security plans preceding the Constitutional Tribunal's 20 May 2007 ruling on the dissolution of the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat Parties.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was transferred to become Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense.

Saprang Kalayanamitr had evoked his aristocratic background in order to increase his credibility in public confrontations.

Saprang Kalayanamitr was married to Viphada and had 3 sons: Army Cadet Ekawee, Air Force Cadet Akharawat, Air Force Cadet Ekwarit.

Saprang Kalayanamitr died from lung cancer on 21 November 2023, at the age of 75.