'Big Comrade': Former Defence Chief Takes Reins As Thai PM
Phumtham Wechayachai earned his moniker over links in his youth to a 1970s student movement that rallied against the architect of a military coup, before their protests were violently crushed.
He fled to the jungle where communist guerrillas were plotting uprisings against the nation's military, and recently he has been questioned over his associations.
But the 71-year-old has successfully transitioned into the limelight from a business role in the empire of Thaksin Shinawatra, the founding force of a dynasty which has dominated Thai politics for decades.
Phumtham has held the defence and commerce portfolios, and had a previous spell as acting prime minister after a crisis engulfed the top office last year.
On Thursday he is due to be sworn in as deputy prime minister and interior minister -- making him acting premier again, after Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from her role.
Suburban revolutionary
Born in the suburbs of Bangkok, Phumtham was nicknamed "Auan", meaning "Chubby", by his parents.
He earned a political science degree from a top Thai university and joined the student movement that took to the streets in 1976, opposing the return of military dictator Thanom Kittikachorn.
His childhood nickname belied his slim-faced appearance in a black-and-white photo of the protests, showing him brandishing speech papers with a microphone in hand.
The uprising ended in a bloody crackdown known as the "Thammasat Massacre" that killed at least 40 students and remains today one of the country's most notorious instances of protest bloodshed.
Unofficial estimates suggest the number of deaths could have been as high as 500, because live ammunition was used to quell the unrest.
Students from Thailand's elite universities fled into the jungle to join guerilla movements.
When Phumtham became defence minister last year he faced a grilling by the conservative and pro-military establishment who accused him of being a card-carrying communist.
"I went to escape the violence," he insisted. "It was not only me, there were other students too."
Despite his protestations, his links to the movement earned him a second alias: "Big Comrade".
Phumtham's reputation has softened since his firebrand formative years, and he is now known as a composed and diplomatic operator.
He will step into the acting prime minister role after the Constitutional Court suspended Paetongtarn pending an ethics probe which could take months.
In the brief interim between the court decision and Phumtham being sworn in as part of a cabinet reshuffle, transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit has been acting premier.
Dynasty lieutenant
Phumtham's rise has mirrored that of Thaksin, whose dynastic parties have been jousting with the country's pro-monarchy, pro-military establishment since the early 2000s.
In the 1990s Phumtham was employed by the Thaksin-founded telecom giant Shin Corp, before entering politics full-time in 2001.
He served as deputy secretary-general of the Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party, founded by Thaksin, and was appointed deputy transport minister in 2005.
After Thaksin was ousted in a coup, the party was dissolved and Phumtham was slapped with a five-year ban from politics.
But the movement remained a potent force, with Thaksin's sister and brother-in-law both having stints as prime minister.
Paetongtarn was appointed in August, with the backing of the family's Pheu Thai party.
Phumtham, considered Thaksin's confidant, appeared by Paetongtarn's side as she gave her first press conference as leader.
Although he will be stepping into her shoes, he has signalled he remains loyal to the Shinawatra dynasty and told journalists he believes she will "survive the probe".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Personal or smuggled? Things to know while carrying gold from abroad
Carrying gold ornaments back from abroad can be stressful. Travellers often carry gold jewellery with them to wear during family functions or simply for personal use abroad. However, reports of seizures by custom officials at the airport leave passengers anxious about what is allowed and what is not. The Delhi case that raised eyebrows In March 2024, this anxiety turned real for Delhi resident Shamina. Returning from Riyadh, she was stopped at the IGI Airport with four gold bangles weighing 100 grams. Customs treated the ornaments as dutiable imports and ordered confiscation. Last month, however, the Delhi High Court ruled the seizure excessive. It stressed that ornaments worn on the body cannot automatically be branded smuggled gold, and ordered the release of the bangles subject to warehousing charges. Similar disputes, such as Anjali Pandey v. Union of India (2024), involving a Thai tourist whose bangles were seized, show how the line between 'personal jewellery' and 'smuggling' is often blurred. How Customs makes the distinction? According to Mayank Arora, partner at The Chambers of Bharat Chugh, three factors guide customs officers: · Form: Ornaments worn on the body are usually treated as personal use, while bars or coins raise suspicion. · Quantity and intent: A few bangles or a chain are acceptable; multiple identical pieces suggest commercial purpose. · Declaration: Declaring jewellery at the red channel reduces risk, while concealment or mis-declaration increases suspicion. Duty-free allowances: What travellers must know? As Alay Razvi, managing partner at Accord Juris, explains, the baggage rules allow: · Men: 20g (Rs 50,000) of gold duty-free. · Women: 40g (Rs 1 lakh) of gold duty-free. · NRIs abroad for over one year: up to 1kg of gold (bars or jewellery) on payment of duty. · Tourists: no allowance, but ornaments worn for personal use can be declared and temporarily detained for re-export. Gold bars, coins and biscuits are always dutiable, regardless of quantity. What happens if you don't declare? Failing to declare jewellery can lead to costs and stress. Rohit Jain, managing partner at Singhania & Co., says: · If openly worn but not declared: duty plus fine (10–20 per cent of value) may apply. · If concealed: it may be treated as smuggling, leading to confiscation and, in high-value cases, even prosecution. Traveller's checklist · Declare jewellery at the red channel or through the ATITHI app. · Carry invoices or photos showing past ownership. · Request a detention receipt if jewellery is to be re-exported. · Avoid carrying bars or coins. · Never conceal ornaments. 'Transparency is the best safeguard,' says Arora. 'Seizures and penalties usually follow concealment or non-declaration.'
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
a day ago
- First Post
Myanmar shuts key trade crossing with Thailand as junta seeks to choke rebel funding before polls
The crossing at the Myawaddy bridge, which carries more than $120m worth of goods between the neighbours each month according to Thai customs data, was sealed to trading vehicles Thai soldiers stand guard overlooking the Moei river on the Thai side near the Tak border checkpoint with Myanmar in Thailand's Mae Sot district. File image/ AFP Myanmar's busiest border trade route with Thailand has been closed for a second consecutive day, after the military regime vowed to crack down on black market revenues that it claims are propping up armed resistance groups ahead of elections scheduled for late December. The crossing at the Myawaddy bridge, which carries more than $120m worth of goods between the neighbours each month according to Thai customs data, was sealed to trading vehicles on Monday. The military said the move was aimed at stemming illicit flows that bankroll guerrilla forces entrenched along the highways linking the border to Yangon. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Naing Maung Zaw, a spokesman for the junta's Border Guard Forces, confirmed the closure, which comes as the regime seeks to present next month's poll as a pathway out of civil war. Critics, however, dismiss the election as an exercise to entrench military rule. Behind the closure The junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup, is fighting on multiple fronts against pro-democracy militias and ethnic armed organisations that have banded together since the putsch. Many sustain their campaigns through levies imposed at roadblocks and toll gates on trade routes, including the lucrative Myawaddy corridor. 'The regime has set regulations to make it uncomfortable for minority groups, to try to stop them from earning money or benefits,' said a Thai security official stationed at the frontier, who requested anonymity. Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader, last week vowed to target opposition fighters he accused of 'using profits collected from illegal trade to strengthen their forces.' A contested election The military has announced a phased election beginning on 28 December, with voting expected to take weeks. Its forces have made limited territorial gains in recent weeks, recapturing areas where they plan to hold the poll. Yet vast parts of the country remain under the control of armed groups opposed to the coup, raising questions over the feasibility of the vote. Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains in detention and her National League for Democracy has been dissolved, with former lawmakers urging citizens to boycott. Meanwhile, the junta has imposed draconian new penalties, including prison terms of up to 10 years for those who criticise or protest against the election.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Thai-Myanmar crossing shut as junta clamps down on trade
Myanmar and Thailand's busiest trade crossing was closed for a second day on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) after the military junta pledged to throttle black markets funding armed opposition groups ahead of a disputed December election. The military, which seized power in a 2021 coup, controls the Myawaddy bridge that carries more than $120 million of trade between the neighbouring nations every month, according to Thai customs figures. However, along the highway linking the crossing to the commercial capital Yangon, its troops are fighting a civil war against an array of guerrillas who fund their fighting with lucrative toll gates. Naing Maung Zaw, a spokesman for the military's Border Guard Forces, said the crossing had been shut "for trading vehicles" since Monday. The military has pledged to clamp down on illicit trade funding its opponents ahead of a December 28 election, which is already being criticised abroad as a ploy to rebrand continuing military rule. The vote is also set to be blocked in huge tracts of the country administered by a kaleidoscope of pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic armed organisations that have found common cause since the coup. A Thai security source based at the border, speaking anonymously, said the junta had "set regulations to make it uncomfortable for minority groups, to try to stop them from earning money or benefits". As the junta shut the crossing on Monday, it announced the late December start date for phased elections that it has trumpeted as an off ramp to the civil war. The military has made limited gains against rebels in recent weeks, seizing back ground where it can now hold the election. The poll is expected to take weeks to complete. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing pledged last week to combat border-based opposition fighters that "use the profits collected from illegal trade to strengthen their forces". Ahead of the polls, democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed after being deposed, with her party dissolved and other ousted lawmakers calling for a boycott. The junta has also introduced harsh new laws dictating prison sentences of up to 10 years for critics or those who protest against the vote.
