Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Prayut Chan-o-cha

Role / Field:

Thai military leader who served as Prime Minister following the 2014 coup.

Born:

1954-03-21

Century / Era:

1954s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Prayut Chan-o-cha (Thai: ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา, pronounced [prā.jút tɕān.ʔōː.tɕʰāː] ; born 21 March 1954) is a Thai former politician and military officer who became the 29th prime minister of Thailand after seizing power in the 2014 coup d'état and served until 2023. He was concurrently the minister of defence in his own government from 2019 to 2023. Prayut served as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army from 2010 to 2014 and led the coup d'état which installed the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the military junta which governed Thailand between 22 May 2014 and 10 July 2019. After his appointment as army chief in 2010, Prayut was characterised as a royalist and an opponent of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Considered a hardliner within the military, he was one of the leading proponents of military crackdowns on the Red Shirt demonstrations of April 2009 and April–May 2010. He later sought to moderate his profile, talking to relatives of protesters who were killed in the bloody conflict and cooperating with the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, who won parliamentary elections in July 2011. During the political crisis that began in November 2013 and involved...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aarathi — Contemporary (Born in 1954) (1954): Veteran Indian actress celebrated for her roles in Kannada cinema during the 1970s and 1980s.
• Alan Hollinghurst — Contemporary (Born in 1954) (1954): Acclaimed English novelist, poet, and literary figure known for mainstreaming gay-themed fiction.
• Alan Turing — Contemporary (Died in 1954) (1954): Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.
• Alexander Glazunov — Shared historical date (03-21 · Died) (1936): A leading Russian Romantic composer, known for reconciling nationalism and cosmopolitanism.
• Ali Abdullah Saleh — Shared historical date (03-21 · Born) (1947): Yemeni military officer and politician who served as President of Yemen from 1990 to 2012.
• Amadou & Mariam — Historical peer (Born in 1954) (1954): Iconic blind musical duo from Mali, blending blues, rock, and traditional African rhythms.
• André Derain — Historical peer (Died in 1954) (1954): Pioneering French painter, co-founder of Fauvism, known for vibrant colorism and later classicism.
• 2014 League of Legends World Championship — Historical peer (Born in 2014) (2014): The 4th League of Legends World Championship, held in Asia in 2014.
• Alain Resnais — Historical peer (Died in 2014) (2014): Pioneering French filmmaker exploring memory, consciousness, and narrative structure.
• A. S. Byatt — Historical peer (Died in 2023) (2023): Acclaimed English novelist, poet, and critic known for complex literary works.
• 1954 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1954
• March 21 (03-21) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on March 21

Frequently Asked Questions about Prayut Chan-o-cha