Seni Pramoj
Minister of Justice | |
|---|---|
| In office 24 November 1947 – 21 February 1948 | |
| Prime Minister | Khuang Aphaiwong |
| Preceded by | Thawan Thamrongnawasawat |
| Succeeded by | Phraya Attargarinipon |
| Leader of the Democrat Party | |
| In office 1968–1979 | |
| Preceded by | Khuang Aphaiwong |
| Succeeded by | Thanat Khoman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 May 1905 Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Sawan, Siam (now Mueang Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Sawan, Thailand) |
| Died | 28 July 1997 (aged 92) Bangkok Hospital, Huai Khwang, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Other political affiliations | Free Thai Movement |
| Spouse | Utsana Saligupta |
| Children |
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| Alma mater | Worcester College, Oxford |
| Profession | |
| Signature |  |
Biography
Born a son of Prince Khamrob and mother Daeng (
Free Thai Movement
Japanese forces
The Phibun government declared war on Great Britain and the United States on 25 January 1942. Although the Thai ambassador in London delivered Thailand's declaration of war to the British government, Seni refused to do so. Instead, he considered organising a resistance movement in the United States.
Following a late morning interview with Secretary Cordell Hull on 8 December, Seni returned to his legation to confer with his staff. The ambassador and his staff unanimously decided to cast their lot with the Allies. Later that afternoon, he returned to the State Department to offer their services to the Allied cause. Blaming pro-Japanese elements for the early Thai surrender, he spoke to Hull of unfreezing Thai assets in the United States for further prosecution of the war and suggested that the Thais in the country might "organise and preserve a government of true patriotic, liberty-loving Thais while his government is in the clutches of Japan."
The State Department decided to act as if Seni continued to represent Thailand. This enabled him to tap into the frozen Thai assets. When asked to draw up a list of "reliable and influential Thai nationals known to be definitely patriotic and anti-Japanese" by the State Department (at the suggestion of
Seni advanced plans to mobilise Thai volunteers in support of the Allies. Beyond the legation staffers and their families, most other Thai residents were students enrolled at colleges and universities, including institutions such as
Post-war years
Seni became prime minister on 17 September 1945, the day he returned to Bangkok. However, he found his position as the head of a cabinet packed with Pridi's loyalists quite uncomfortable. Northeastern populist politicians like
The Pramoj brothers subsequently joined the newly formed Democrat Party in 1946, which was for the most part made up of royalists and conservative reactionaries. Seni would spend the next two years vigorously carrying out a personal campaign against Pridi. Earlier in the year he had called for an investigation of the use of the US$500,000 in Thai assets unfrozen by the US government that he had turned over to the OSS. Insinuating the money had been transferred to the senior statesman, he lamented that "most of the money had not been spent for what it was intended." An independent investigatory panel, however, found no mistake, concluding that the Free Thai had "performed remarkably well" and that the Thai people "owe a great deal to them."[3] The outcome left the ex-prime minister looking extremely foolish.
Seni soon got his revenge, however. In the immediate aftermath of King Ananda Mahidol's death, Seni and his party launched relentless attacks against the government and accused Pridi of being responsible for the king's assassination, the implausibility of the charge notwithstanding.[4]
In November 1947 the Democrat Party cooperated with disgruntled army officers to oust the government of Thawan Thamrongnawasawat. As part of the deal, Seni was awarded a cabinet portfolio in Khuang's coup-installed cabinet.
On Tuesday, 14 June 1949, in a lecture delivered before the Siam Society, Seni pleaded, "[I] happen to belong to that peculiar species known as politicians who are in the incorrigible habit of attempting to accomplish the impossible." Word had gotten around that he and his brother had been "getting up a little English translation of some of King Mongkut's public papers and private correspondence...without actually putting it to a final execution." [citation needed] He chooses to speak of the king in his capacity as a legislator, "because legislation is the field I am more closely familiar with than any other." Seni provides, "ample evidence to show that the King was the first and foremost democrat of our country," and quotes from an Act declaring an election whereby "any person, even though he be a slave, who is believed to be so sufficiently possessed of wisdom and restraint as to be able to give clear and satisfactory judgment in accordance with truth, justice and the law may be elected as judge." With regard to the 1944 semi-fictionalized biographical novel Anna and the King of Siam and the 1946 Hollywood film of the same title, Seni quoted several acts and judicial decisions that gave the lie to the fiction.[5]
The 1970s and later life
Seni returned to his job as a lawyer, but remained active in the Democrat Party during the period of military rule. He served again briefly as prime minister from 15 February to 13 March 1975, when he was defeated and replaced by his younger brother, Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj. However, Kukrit's government only lasted until 20 April 1976, when Seni regained the top political office.
Seni's final term was a time of crisis in the nation. After a right-wing backlash against leftist student demonstrators culminated in the
Seni decided to resign as the leader of the
Pramoj died on 26 July, 1997 of heart disease and kidney failure from Bangkok Hospital at the age of 92.[6][7][8]
Honours
Academic rank
- Professor of Thammasat University[9]
- Professor of Chulalongkorn University[10]
References
- ^ An Impressive Day at M.R. Kukrit's Home Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine; Thailand Bibliography
- ^ Prince Suphasawatwongsanit Sawadiwat. A Memorandum on Certain Aspects of Siamese Politics. Wanthani.
- ^ E. Bruce Reynolds. Thailand's Secret War. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Larry Allen Niksch. United States Foreign Policy in Thailand's World War II Peace Settlements. Georgetown University.
- ^ Seni Pramoj, M.R. (1950). "King Mongkut as a Legislator" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society. JSS Vol. 38.1. Siam Heritage Trust: 32–64. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- The Associated Press. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "FORMER THAI LEADER SENI PRAMOJ, 92, DIES - the Washington Post". www.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "FORMER THAI LEADER SENI PRAMOJ, 92, DIES". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Document ratchakitcha.soc.go.th
- ^ Document ratchakitcha.soc.go.th
External links
- "Biography at the Thai government". Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2005.
- The Home of M R Kukrit Pramoj - a legacy of Thailand's famous son
- Asian History[permanent dead link]