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| Phin Choonhavan | |
|---|---|
| Name | Phin Choonhavan |
| Birth date | 3 September 1891 |
| Death date | 22 June 1973 |
| Birth place | Bangkok, Rattanakosin Kingdom |
| Death place | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Battles | Franco-Thai War, World War II |
Phin Choonhavan was a senior Thai royalist general, politician, and influential figure in mid-20th century Siam and Thailand statecraft. He played a central role in the 1932 Siamese revolution aftermath, the consolidation of military influence under leaders like Plaek Phibunsongkhram and Sarit Thanarat, and was instrumental in the 1947 1947 Siamese coup d'état. His career intersected with figures such as Pridi Banomyong, Luang Phibunsongkhram, Phibunsongkhram, Khuang Aphaiwong, Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, and institutions including the Royal Thai Army, Ministry of Defence, and the Royal Thai Government.
Born in Bangkok during the late Rattanakosin Kingdom era, he came of age amid the constitutional transformations culminating in the Siamese revolution of 1932. He received military-oriented education and training that connected him with contemporaries from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy cohort and future leaders linked to Khmer and British colonial peripheries. His early associations included families and networks connected to Prince Wan Waithayakon, Prince Boworadet, Ananda Mahidol, and bureaucratic cadres serving under the House of Chakri monarchs.
Choonhavan advanced through the ranks of the Royal Thai Army during the pre-war and wartime decades, serving in postings tied to the Isan region, the Franco-Thai War, and defensive operations during World War II. He developed operational links with commanders who later rose to prominence, including Phibunsongkhram allies and officers connected to Royal Thai Air Force leadership. His service record included command responsibilities that intersected with campaigns involving border disputes with French Indochina, engagements influenced by Imperial Japan’s regional strategy, and coordination with bureaucratic ministries such as the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defence on mobilization and logistics.
Following his military ascendancy, Choonhavan transitioned into political office amid turbulence involving Pridi Banomyong’s faction, wartime administrations of Plaek Phibunsongkhram, and postwar cabinets like those of Khuang Aphaiwong and Seni Pramoj. He occupied ministerial and advisory roles that interfaced with the Parliament of Thailand, the Privy Council of Thailand, and royal courts associated with King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). His network included ties to civilian politicians such as Thawan Thamrongnawasawat, Seni Pramoj, and Khuang Aphaiwong, and to military strongmen like Sarit Thanarat, Phao Sriyanond, and Pridi’s opponents.
Choonhavan was a key architect and participant in the 1947 coup that deposed the Pridi Banomyong-linked civilian administration and restored military-dominated governance. The coup reshaped alignments among actors including Luang Phibunsongkhram, Phibunsongkhram, Khuang Aphaiwong, and royalist elements aligned with King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). Operational coordination involved officers from the Royal Thai Army, intelligence figures tied to Police General Phao Sriyanond, and political backers from bureaucratic ministries and provincial power brokers in Isan and Northern Thailand. The 1947 action set the stage for the later rise of figures like Sarit Thanarat and the consolidation of a military-bureaucratic order that would dominate Thai politics into the 1950s and 1960s.
In his later years Choonhavan served as a senior statesman within circles surrounding the Privy Council of Thailand, the Monarchy of Thailand, and veteran military elites such as Sarit Thanarat and Phao Sriyanond. His familial line included descendants active in diplomacy and politics, linking him to figures such as Nitya Choonhavan and later diplomats involved with Ministry of Foreign Affairs postings and international engagements with United Nations and regional organizations. Historical assessments place him among the cohort of interwar and postwar officers who shaped Thai trajectories alongside Pridi Banomyong, Plaek Phibunsongkhram, and Sarit Thanarat, influencing policies on national security, foreign alignments during the Cold War, and the institutional role of the Royal Thai Army in governance.
Category:Thai military personnel Category:Thai politicians Category:1891 births Category:1973 deaths