Thawan Thamrongnawasawat

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat (also spelt Thawal Thamrongnavaswadhi or Thawal Thamrongnavasawat; Thai: ถวัลย์ ธำรงนาวาสวัสดิ์, IPA: [tʰà.wǎn tʰam.roŋ.naː.waː.sà.wàt]; Chinese: 郑连淡; pinyin: Zhèng Liándàn[3][4]); 21 November 1901 – 3 December 1988), also known by his noble title as Luang Thamrongnawasawat, was the eighth Prime Minister of Thailand from 1946–1947. Before becoming a politician, he was a naval officer, holding the rank of rear admiral.

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat
ถวัลย์ ธำรงนาวาสวัสดิ์
Thawan in 1959
8th Prime Minister of Thailand
In office
23 August 1946 – 8 November 1947
MonarchBhumibol Adulyadej
Preceded byPridi Banomyong
Succeeded byKhuang Aphaiwong
Minister of Justice
In office
11 June 1946 – 8 November 1947
Prime Minister
Preceded byLuang Chamnarnnitikaset
Succeeded bySeni Pramoj
Minister of Interior
In office
February 1935 – December 1938
Prime MinisterPhraya Phahon
Preceded byPridi Banomyong
Succeeded byPlaek Phibunsongkhram
Personal details
Born
Thawan[a]

(1901-11-21)21 November 1901
Ayutthaya, Krung Kao, Siam (now Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thailand)
Died3 December 1988(1988-12-03) (aged 87)
Phramongkutklao Hospital, Phaya Thai, Bangkok, Thailand (now Ratchathewi, Bangkok, Thailand)
Political partyKhana Ratsadon
Other political
affiliations
Signature
Military service
AllegianceThailand
BranchRoyal Thai Navy
Rank

Education

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Careers

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Thawan Thamrongnavasawat on parliamentary speech in 1946

A career naval officer of Chinese ancestry, Thamrong was a leading member of the anti-Japanese Free Thai Movement resistance movement during World War II. He became Thailand's elected prime minister on 23 August 1946, replacing Pridi Banomyong. However, he was removed from office by a military coup orchestrated by Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram on 8 November 1947. Khuang Aphaiwong then assumed the post of prime minister.[5]

After King Rama VII abdicated the throne, Thamrong was appointed by the government to be the leader of a faculty of representatives to travel to invite Prince Ananda Mahidol, who was living in Switzerland with his mother and two siblings, to ascend to the throne as King Rama VIII of the Chakri dynasty.

However, due to political fluctuations, a coup eventually occurred originating from within a group of soldiers led by Phin Choonhavan on 8 November 1947, resulting in Thamrong having to leave the country and stay in Hong Kong for a period. When Thamrong later returned to Thailand he was appointed as a member of the Constitutional Drafting Assembly. After that, he lived a relatively quietly life.

Death

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Thawan Thamrongnawasawat died on 3 December 1988 at Phramongkutklao Hospital, aged 87 years, being the first and only naval officer to date who has served as prime minister.[citation needed]

Academic rank

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Royal decorations

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Thawan has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand:

Notes

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  1. ^ At that time, Thailand did not have surnames

References

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  1. ^ a b "พระราชทานยสทหาน" (PDF) (in Thai). Royal Thai Government Gazette. 17 September 1943. p. 2918. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  2. ^ "พระราชทานยสทหาน" (PDF) (in Thai). Royal Thai Government Gazette. 19 January 1943. p. 282. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  3. ^ [泰国] 洪林, 黎道纲主编 (April 2006). 泰国华侨华人研究. 香港社会科学出版社有限公司. pp. 17, 185. ISBN 962-620-127-4.
  4. ^ (in Chinese) 臺北科技大學紅樓資訊站 Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "ปิดตำนาน นายกฯ ลิ้นทอง พล.ร.ต.ถวัลย์ ธำรงนาวาสวัสดิ์". 3 December 2019.
  6. ^ "ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่องตั้งศาสตราจารย์วิสามัญแห่งมหาวิทยาลัย วิชาธรรมศาสตร์และการเมือง" [Announcement of the Prime Minister's Office on the Appointment of an Adjunct Professor of Thammasat University and Political Science] (PDF) (in Thai). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2018.