Personalities

Anupong Paochinda:Born on 10 October 1949 in Bangkok, Anupong was the son of Prachao Paochinda, an Army colonel. He received his primary and secondary educations at Panthasueksa and Amnuay Silpa Schools in the capital before enrolling in the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in 1967. He continued his military education at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1972. He climbed the ladder in his military career while serving mostly in the 21st Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Infantry Division in Thailand’s eastern region before moving to the capital and serving as commander of the 1st Division (King’s Guard) starting in 2003 and of the 1st Army Region starting in 2005. Anupong played a crucial role in the September 2006 coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and was rewarded with the post of Army chief in 2007. He became interior minister in the government of General Prayut Chan-ocha following the military coup of May 2014.

Apirat Kongsompong: Apirat was born on 23 March 1960 in Bangkok to General Sunthorn Kongsompong and Colonel Orachorn Kongsompong. He appears to have decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps and to become a soldier. He enrolled in the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School after receiving his secondary education at Saint Gabriel’s College in the capital and graduated from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in 1985. He also pursued a civilian education, earning a master’s degree in business administration from Southeastern University in Washington, DC. Apirat began his military career as a pilot at the Army Aviation Centre, a unit of which his father had previously served as commander. He undertook several training courses for pilots in the United States, including those at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and Fort Rucker, Alabama. He also attended the United States Army’s Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Gorgia. Apirat served as an assistant logistics officer in the office of Thailand’s defence attaché to Washington in the 1990s. He advanced during his military career mostly through service in the 1st Division (King’s Guard) in the capital. He also gained experience in counter-insurgency operations in the Deep South, when he served as deputy commander of the 11th Infantry Regiment before returning to the regiment as its commander.