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Information About

Anand Panyarachun





EDUCATION AND CAREER IN CIVIL SERVICE AND BUSINESS


Anand read law at Trinity College, Cambridge , graduating with honours in 1955 .

After spending 23 years in the Thai foreign service, Anand retired and joined the private sector. He became the Vice-Chairman of the Saha-Union Group in 1979 and the Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1991. He became a Director of Siam Commercial Bank in 1984 and remains a Director to the present day (2006) {Link without Title} .


PRIME MINISTER OF THAILAND


Anand was appointed Prime Minister in 1991 after a military coup led by General
Suchinda Kraprayoon and the so-called National Peacekeeping Council toppled the democratically-elected government of Chatichai Choonhavan . Key accomplishments of Anand's government include
  • The establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)

  • A highly effective anti-AIDS/HIV policy

  • Electricity market reform, including the introduction of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and the initiation of a 10 year liberalization and privatization plan for EGAT . Many have noted that Saha-Union Group, which Anand chaired, won a a major bid to build a large coal fired power plant while Anand was in power {Link without Title} .

  • Award of a multi-billion baht concession to Telecom Asia (today known as True ) to build and operate two million telephone lines in Bangkok[http://www.anandp.in.th/en_speech/e020003.html]. It was noted by many that General Suchinda, the coup-leader who installed Anand as Prime Minister, was appointed Chairman of Telecomm Asia after he was toppled from power[http://www.dcita.gov.au/crf/papers98/lewis.doc].

  • Suspension of the Hopewell rail-train airport link project {Link without Title} .


Anand was succeeded by General Suchinda, who was appointed by Parliament after general elections.

Anand was appointed Prime Minister a second time in 10 June 1992 after Suchinda's government collapsed in less than two months after a violent military crackdown on massive popular protests. Anand was succeeded by democratically-elected Chuan Leekpai later in 1992.


POST-POLITICAL CAREER


Anand rejoined the Saha-Union Group as Chairman after the general elections of 1992. He resigned from Saha-Union Group in 2002.


Constitution Drafting Assembly

In 1997, Anand was elected as a member of the Constitution Drafting Assembly and was appointed Chairman of the Drafting Committee. He oversaw the drafting of what became known as the "Peoples' Constitution" of 1997. This constitution is still in use in the present day (2006).


National Reconciliation Commission

Since March 2005, Anand has served as chairman of the National Reconciliation Commission tasked with overseeing that peace is brought back to the troubled south. A fierce critic of the Thaksin -government, he has frequently slammed the handling of the southern unrest, and in particular the State of Emergency Decree. He has been quoted to have said, "The authorities have worked inefficiently. They have arrested innocent people instead of the real culprits, leading to mistrust among locals. So, giving them broader power may lead to increased violence and eventually a real crisis." Unfortunately, he allowed the situation to deteriorate. Despite much criticism of the Thaksin-government's policies, he has refused to submit the NRC's final report, choosing instead to wait for the results of the 2006 legislative election {Link without Title} .


Other Positions

Anand is a member of the Trilateral Commission , the Carlyle Group , and the International Advisory Board of American International Group ( AIG ).


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