Thanat Khoman
Thanat Khoman | |
---|---|
ถนัด คอมันตร์ | |
![]() Thanat Khomanc.1975 | |
Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand | |
In office 11 March 1981 – 19 March 1983 | |
Prime Minister | Prem Tinsulanonda |
In office 3 March 1980 – 28 February 1981 | |
Prime Minister | Prem Tinsulanonda |
Leader of theDemocrat Party | |
In office 26 May 1979 – 3 April 1982 | |
Preceded by | Seni Pramoj |
Succeeded by | Bhichai Rattakul |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 20 February 1959 – 17 November 1971 | |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | PrinceWan Waithayakon |
Succeeded by | Thanom Kittikachorn |
Personal details | |
Born | Bangkok,Siam | 9 May 1914
Died | 3 March 2016 Bangkok,Thailand | (aged 101)
Nationality | Thai |
Political party | Democrat |
Other political affiliations | Free Thai Movement |
Spouse | Molee Khoman |
Alma mater | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1963–2016[citation needed] |
Rank | ![]() |
Thanat Khoman(also Thanad;Thai:ถนัด คอมันตร์;RTGS:Thanat Khoman,9 May 1914 – 3 March 2016)[3][4]was a Thai diplomat and politician. He was foreign minister from 1959 to 1971, leader of theDemocrat Partyfrom 1979 to 1982, anddeputy prime ministerfrom 1980 to 1983. He died at the age of 101 on 3 March 2016, a couple of months shy of his 102nd birthday.[5]
Early life
[edit]Thanat was born inBangkokand came from aThai Chinesefamily. His father, Phraya Phiphaksa Satayathipatai (Po Khoman) was one of Siam's first law school graduates and a judge on theSupreme Court of Thailand.Thanat attendedAssumption Collegein Bangkok, before he went to France, graduating from a Bordeauxlycée.Supplied with a scholarship from the Thai foreign ministry, he continued his studies inBordeauxandParis,earning degrees from theInstitute of Higher International Studies(IHEI) andSciences Poin 1939, as well as adoctor of lawdegree from theUniversity of Parisin 1940.[6][7]
Diplomatic career
[edit]After his return to Thailand, Thanat was obliged to join the diplomatic service, as the foreign ministry had financed his studies. DuringWorld War IIhe was stationed as a second secretary at the Thai embassy inTokyofrom 1941 to 1943. During this time, the Thai-Japanese agreement of 1942 was concluded, allowing Japanese troops to march through Thailand and use it as a base for attacks onBritish BurmaandMalayaand leading to Thailand's entry into the war on the Axis side. However, Thanat disagreed with what was perceived as a virtual Japanese occupation of Thailand and joined theSeri Thai( "Free Thai" ) resistance movement that was supported by the BritishForce 136and the AmericanOSS.In February 1945, he was a member of a secret delegation to the Allied South East Asia Command inKandy, Ceylon.[8][9]
After theSecond World War,he held a number of diplomatic posts, includingchargé d'affairesat the Thai embassies inWashington, D.C.,andDelhi.[8]In 1950 he was chosen as the chairman of theUN Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East(ECAFE) inNew York City.From 1952 to 1957 he served as the deputy to the Permanent Representative from Thailand to the United Nations. In 1957 he was promoted to the post of the Ambassador of Thailand to the United States.
Political career
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/JFK_Thanat_Khoman.jpg/220px-JFK_Thanat_Khoman.jpg)
On 10 February 1959, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand in the government of authoritarian Prime MinisterSarit Thanarat.His major contribution was in promoting regional reconciliation and cooperation inSoutheast Asia.He was a participant inSEATOtalks in 1961.[10]In March 1962 he signed a joint communiqué withUnited States Secretary of StateDean Ruskin which the United States promised Thailand support and defense against potential communist aggression. Despite being only an informal protocol, it was celebrated in Thailand as a bilateral pact of the two countries, dubbed theThanat–Rusk Communiqué.[11][12]
In the 1960s Thanat played a key role in mediating between Indonesia and Malaysia. The choice of Bangkok as the founding place of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nationson 8 August 1967 was an expression of respect for his active role in the formation of this institution. On 17 November 1971 he resigned his post after a coup d'état.
After his resignation as foreign minister, Thanat entered national politics in 1979 and served as chairman of theDemocrat Partyuntil 1982. Between 1980 and 1982 he was also deputy prime minister in the government ofPrem Tinsulanonda.In 1982 he retired from political life. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 2014.[13]His wife, Molee, is a maternal granddaughter ofTan Kim Ching.[14]
Honours
[edit]Thai Decorations
[edit]- 1968 –
Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Chula Chom Klao[15]
- 1968 –
Knight Grand Cordon of theOrder of the White Elephant
- 1960 –
Knight Grand Cordon of the Most NobleOrder of the Crown of Thailand
- 1966 –
Dushdi MalaCivilian, arts and sciences (Silpa Vidhya)
- 1942 –
Medal for Service in the Interior - Indochina
- 1963 –
Border Service Medal
- 1966 –
Chakrabarti Mala Medal
- 1960 –
King Rama IXRoyal Cypher Medal2nd
Foreign Honours
[edit]Spain:
- 1960 –
Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic
- 1960 –
United Kingdom:
- 1961 –
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of St Michael and St George(GCMG)
- 1961 –
Germany:
- 1961 –
Grand Cross 1st Class of theOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1961 –
Portugal:
- 1961 –
Grand Cross of theOrder of Christ
- 1961 –
Denmark:
- 1961 –
Grand Cross of theOrder of the Dannebrog
- 1961 –
Norway:
- 1961 –
Grand Cross of theOrder of St. Olav
- 1961 –
Sweden:
- 1961 –
Commander Grand Cross of theOrder of the Polar Star
- 1961 –
Italy:
- 1961 –
Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic
- 1961 –
Vatican City:
- 1961 –
Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Pope Pius IX
- 1961 –
Belgium:
- 1961 –
Grand Cordon of theOrdre de Leopold
- 1961 –
France:
- 1961 –
Grand Cross of theLegion of Honour
- 1961 –
Luxembourg:
- 1961–
Grand Cross of theOrder of the Oak Crown
- 1961–
Malaya:
- 1962 –
Honorary Grand Commander of theOrder of the Defender of the Realm
- 1962 –
Japan:
- 1963 –
Grand Cordon 1st Class of theOrder of the Rising Sun
- 1963 –
Greece:
- 1963 –
Grand Cross of theRoyal Order of George I
- 1963 –
Taiwan:
- 1963 –
Special Grand Cordon of theOrder of Brilliant Star
- 1963 –
Special Grand Cordon of theOrder of Propitious Clouds
- 1963 –
South Vietnam:
South Korea:
- 1966 –
Recipient of theOrder of Service Merit,1st Class
- 1966 –
Ethiopia:
- 1967 –
Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Menelik II
- 1967 –
Brazil:
- 1967 –
Grand Cross of theOrder of the Southern Cross
- 1967 –
Mexico:
- 1967 –
Sash of theOrder of the Aztec Eagle
- 1967 –
Austria:
- 1969 –
Grand Star of theDecoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
- 1969 –
Philippines:
- 1998 –
Grand Cross of theOrder of Sikatuna
- 2017 –
Grand Collar of theOrder of Lakandula(posthumous)
- 1998 –
See also
[edit]References
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^"สิ้น" ถนัด คอมันตร์ "วัย 102 ปี".3 March 2016.
- ^[1][bare URL PDF]
- ^Khoman, Sirilaksana (2014).Thanat Khoman: The Formative Years (แด่พ่อที่รักของลูก) (in Thai).Bangkok. p. 60.ISBN9789744018243.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^"สิ้นแล้ว! ถนัด คอมันตร์ ด้วยโรคชรา อายุ 102 ปี"(in Thai). The Nation Broadcasting Corporation Limited. 2016-03-03.Retrieved2016-03-03.
- ^Paddock, Richard C. (7 March 2016)."Thanat Khoman, Thai Statesman and Co-Founder of Asian Alliance, Dies at 101".The New York Times.
- ^Marjorie Dent Candee, ed. (1958).Current Biography Yearbook.H. W. Wilson. p.226.
- ^"Thai Foreign Minister to Lecture at Gaston".The Hoya.24 October 1968. p. 3.
- ^abJudith A. Stowe (1991).Siam Becomes Thailand: A Story of Intrigue.C. Hurst & Co. p. 377.
- ^E. Bruce Reynolds (2004).Thailand's Secret War: OSS, SOE and the Free Thai Underground During World War II.Cambridge University Press. p.291.ISBN9780511081026.
- ^Pittsburgh Post-Gazette."SEATO May Decide War Or Peace".March 26, 1961, p. 6. Retrieved on May 29, 2013.
- ^Louis J. Smith; David H. Herschler (2003).Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1969-1976.Foreign Relations of the United States. Vol. I. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. pp. 181–182.
- ^Arne Kislenko, "The Vietnam War, Thailand, and the United States" in Richard Jensen et al. eds.Trans-Pacific Relations: America, Europe, and Asia in the Twentieth Century(Praeger, 2003) pp 217–245.
- ^Somkiat Onwimon (2014-02-26).บันทึกอาเซียนกับ ดร.สมเกียรติ อ่อนวิมล.Daily News(in Thai). Archived fromthe originalon 2014-03-22.Retrieved2014-08-14.
- ^"Bangkok Travelbug - November 10 - The Siamese-Singapore connection".Tour Bangkok Legacies.29 October 2010.Retrieved14 October2015.
- ^ราชกิจจานุเบกษา,แจ้งความสำนักคณะรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์,เล่ม ๗๕, ตอน ๓๙ ง, ๒๐ พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. ๒๕๑๑
- Alumni of Assumption College (Thailand)
- Ministers of foreign affairs of Thailand
- Deputy prime ministers of Thailand
- Ambassadors of Thailand to the United States
- Recipients of the Dushdi Mala Medal, Pin of Arts and Science
- Thai centenarians
- Democrat Party (Thailand) politicians
- Leaders of the Democrat Party (Thailand)
- Men centenarians
- Thai people of Chinese descent
- Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
- Recipients of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin
- Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau
- Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Grand Crosses of the Order of George I
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun
- Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
- 1914 births
- 2016 deaths
- Thai diplomats
- Grand Collars of the Order of Lakandula
- University of Bordeaux alumni
- Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia