Somchai Wongsawat

Somchai Wongsawat
Prime Minister's Office · GODL-India · source
Name	Somchai Wongsawat
Birth date	15 August 1947
Birth place	Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Nationality	Thai
Occupation	Politician, Judge, Lawyer
Party	Thai Rak Thai Party (former), People's Power Party (former), Pheu Thai Party (associated)
Spouse	Jarin Chakkaphak
Relations	Thaksin Shinawatra (brother-in-law)

Somchai Wongsawat (born 15 August 1947) is a Thai politician, jurist, and former Prime Minister of Thailand. He served in senior judicial and electoral roles before entering partisan politics, became Prime Minister in 2008 during a period of intense political conflict, and subsequently faced legal challenges, removal from office, and later activity in Thai public life. His career intersects with major Thai institutions and events involving prominent figures from the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Early life and education

Somchai was born in Nakhon Pathom and educated in institutions that produced many Thai civil servants. He trained in law at Thammasat University and pursued postgraduate studies linked to the Legal Education Reform movement and training programs associated with the Supreme Court of Thailand and Office of the Judiciary. Early professional appointments placed him within the Administrative Court of Thailand and the administrative judicial circuit that included involvement with the Constitutional Court of Thailand personnel networks and connections to alumni of Chulalongkorn University, Assumption University, and institutions collaborating with the United Nations legal offices and Asian Development Bank legal advisers.

Somchai’s family ties connected him to political actors of the 2006 crisis and policy debates involving the National Assembly of Thailand and the Royal Thai Police. He married into a family with direct links to Thaksin Shinawatra, whose tenure as Prime Minister of Thailand reshaped party dynamics involving Thai Rak Thai Party, People's Power Party, and later Pheu Thai Party.

Political career

After a judicial career, Somchai moved into electoral administration, holding roles in the Election Commission orbit and engaging with legal reforms tied to the 1997 Constitution and the later 2007 Constitution debates. He was associated with ministers and lawmakers across the House of Representatives, interacting with figures from Democrat Party, Chartthaipattana Party, Chart Pattana Puea Pandin Party, and People's Power Party coalitions.

Somchai became an active member and leader within People's Power Party after the dissolution of Thai Rak Thai Party by the Constitutional Court of Thailand. He worked alongside leaders such as Geng Leekpai, Chuan Leekpai, Banharn Silpa-archa, Abhisit Vejjajiva, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Sanoh Thienthong, and Sondhi Limthongkul in the turbulent political alignments of the 2007–2008 period. His alliances involved negotiations with coalition partners including New Aspiration Party, Matchima Party, Palang Dharma Party, and regional blocs representing provinces like Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, and Nakhon Ratchasima.

Premiership and 2008 political crisis

Somchai assumed the premiership during an acute flashpoint involving People's Alliance for Democracy, Red Shirts, and mass demonstrations that targeted government institutions such as Government House and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. His term coincided with legal actions by the Constitutional Court of Thailand, protest movements linked to media outlets like MCOT Public Company Limited, Thai PBS, and private broadcasters, and confrontations involving the Royal Thai Army and law enforcement agencies such as the Royal Thai Police.

The 2008 crisis saw contested use of legal mechanisms by the Constitutional Court of Thailand and rulings affecting party executives from People's Power Party and associated lists of MPs, provoking protests orchestrated by networks connected to Sondhi Limthongkul, Chamlong Srimuang, and factions sympathetic to Privy Council figures. International attention included statements from foreign missions such as the U.S. Embassy in Thailand, commentary from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and regional concern from ASEAN partners.

Legal challenges and impeachment proceedings

During and after his premiership, Somchai faced legal scrutiny tied to the dissolution of the People's Power Party and constitutional qualifications vetted by the Constitutional Court of Thailand. Proceedings implicated electoral law overseen by the Election Commission of Thailand, disciplinary actions connected to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and prosecutions in courts including the Criminal Court of Thailand and administrative tribunals that referenced precedents set by cases involving Thaksin Shinawatra, Sondhi Limthongkul, Anupong Paochinda, and rulings emanating from the Supreme Court of Thailand.

Impeachment mechanics and removal from office drew on articles of the 2007 Constitution and processes used against other politicians like members of Thai Rak Thai Party who were banned from politics by the Constitutional Court of Thailand. The legal saga involved petitions, injunctions, and verdicts from institutions such as the Ombudsman of Thailand and scrutiny by international legal observers and rights organizations including International Commission of Jurists.

Later life and activities

Following his removal, Somchai engaged in activities associated with civic groups, charitable foundations, and networks aligned with politicians formerly in People's Power Party and Pheu Thai Party. He appeared in forums alongside figures such as Weng Tojirakarn, Yingluck Shinawatra, Chaturon Chaisang, and Pavin Chachavalpongpun in discussions about political reform, reconciliation commissions like the Truth Commission proposals, and parliamentary committee inquiries within the National Legislative Assembly and later sessions of the House of Representatives.

Somchai's later public profile intersected with broader debates on amnesty proposals, the role of the Crown Property Bureau in Thai politics, and civil society initiatives involving organizations like Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Community Legal Education Center, and academic centers at Mahidol University, Kasetsart University, and Chiang Mai University. He retained connections to regional political actors in provinces across Isan, Central Thailand, and Southern Thailand, and remained a subject of analysis by Thai and international media outlets including The Bangkok Post, The Nation, Reuters, and BBC News.

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Prime Ministers of Thailand