What is Surayud Chulanont?
{{BLP unsourced|date=April 2024}} [[File:Surayud2011.jpg|thumb|200px]] '''Surayud Chulanont''' ( born 28 August 1943) is a Thai politician. He was the [[Prime Minister of Thailand]] and head of Thailand's interim government between 2006 and 2008. He is a former supreme commander of the [[Royal Thai Army]] and is currently Privy Councilor to King [[Vajiralongkorn]]. Surayud came from a military family. His father [[Defection|defected]] from the Royal Thai Army to the [[Communist Party of Thailand]] when Surayud was a boy. Surayud joined the Thai Army and rose to power as an aide to General [[Prem Tinsulanonda]]. He commanded troops during [[Bloody May]], the violent 1992 crackdown on anti-government protesters. He denied giving his men the order to shoot protesters. He was promoted to army commander during the government of [[Chuan Leekpai]]. He was promoted to supreme commander in 2003, under the government of [[Thaksin Shinawatra]]. Upon his retirement from the army, he was appointed by King [[Bhumibol Adulyadej]] to the [[Privy Council of Thailand]]. Surayud and [[Privy Council]] President [[Prem Tinsulanonda]] played a key role in the promotion of General [[Sonthi Boonratklin]] to the position of army commander. ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:1943 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Prime Ministers of Thailand]] {{bio-stub}}