Sarasin family
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| Sarasin สารสิน | |
|---|---|
| Parent family | Huang family |
| Current region | Bangkok |
| Place of origin | Thailand |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Founder | Thian Hee Sarasin |
| Connected families | House of Chakrabandhu House of Abhakara House of Kitiyakara House of Tisakula House of Sucharitakul Jotikasthira family[citation needed] |
The Sarasin family (Thai: สารสิน) refers to a wealthy assimilated
immigrants in Thailand throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and their descendants' subsequent influence on Thailand's economy and politics
.
Key family members
Members of the Sarasin family include former
Thian Hee (aristocratic title: Phraya Sarasinswamiphakdi); former deputy prime minister and influential businessman Pong Sarasin;[2] former police chief general and interior minister Pao Sarasin; former foreign minister and royal secretary Arsa Sarasin. Patee Sarasin, a son of Arsa Sarasin, was the longtime CEO of Nok Air.[3] The Sarasin family, along with the Lamsam and the Wanglee families, have been included in a number of academic studies[4] about elite Thai-Chinese control of business corporations and the consolidation of control through political means. The family's political legacy has often resulted in its comparison to the Kennedy family in the United States.[5]
Family history
The Sarasin family's passage into the political and economic arena was largely due to the pioneering entrepreneurialism of Thian Hee – the first member of the family to be elevated to noble status and to be bestowed with a Thai surname. Thian Hee, although already a wealthy rice trader, contributed to the family's economic status by investing in a number of industries, establishing the family's reputation in Bangkok. Thien Hee was the first Thai doctor to graduate from
Siam Cement Public Co. Ltd[7] – of which his grandchildren and great-grandchildren sit on the board. His son, Pote, continued and strengthened the family's political and business legacy by cultivating ties with the royal family and other bureaucratic elites. Pote became an influential statesman, serving as Prime Minister in 1957 under the coup-installed government when Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat seized power. Pote became instrumental in maintaining diplomatic relations between the Thai military government and the United States during the 1950s.[8][9]
Legacy
Pote became the family patriarch and expanded his family's business holdings during Thailand's dramatic economic development, which coincided with the rise of the "
Phuket to mainland Thailand.[citation needed
]
References
- ^ Ramalingam, Albert (11 August 1987). "The Powerful Sarasin Family of Thailand". The Straits Times.
- ^ "The Cabinet". Cabinet.thaigov.go.th. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ Thai Airways, Tiger And Nok May Face Political Headwinds
- . Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-521-81615-1.
- ISSN 0047-2336.
- ^ "The Siam Cement Group". Siamcement.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-1818-0.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-1974-3.
- ^ "Thai Pure Drinks Co., Ltd. Beverages, Soft Drinks Manufacturer – Bangkok Thailand Company Profiles". Bangkokcompanies.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ "Issuer Detail". Thaibma.or.th. Retrieved 2011-12-03.