Ministerial offices 1976–2001

Minister of Defence
In office 14 November 1997 – 5 February 2001
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
Succeeded by	Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives
In office 26 August 1990 – 9 December 1990
Prime Minister	Chatichai Choonhavan
Preceded by	Arnat Arpapirom
Succeeded by	Narong Wongwan
Minister of Public Health
In office 4 August 1988 – 29 December 1989
Prime Minister	Chatichai Choonhavan
Preceded by	Arnat Arpapirom
Succeeded by	Narong Wongwan
Minister of Commerce
In office 11 March 1981 – 19 December 1981
Prime Minister	Prem Tinsulanonda
Preceded by	Punnami Poonnasri
Succeeded by	Punnami Poonnasri
Minister of Justice
In office 3 March 1980 – 5 March 1981
Prime Minister	Prem Tinsulanonda
Preceded by	Sutham Patrakom
Succeeded by	Marut Bunnag
In office 25 September 1976 – 6 October 1976
Prime Minister	Seni Pramoj
Preceded by	Prasit Kanchanawat
Succeeded by	Sangad Chaloryu

Leader of the Opposition

In office
11 March 2001 – 3 May 2003

Prime Minister

Thaksin Shinawatra

Preceded by

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh

Succeeded by

Banyat Bantadtan

In office
4 August 1995 – 8 November 1997

Prime Minister

Banharn Silpa-archa
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh

Preceded by

Banharn Silpa-archa

Succeeded by

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh

Leader of the Democrat Party

In office
26 January 1991 – 4 May 2003

Preceded by

Bhichai Rattakul

Succeeded by

Banyat Bantadtan

Member of the House of Representatives
for the Democrat Party List

Incumbent

Assumed office
6 January 2001

Member of the House of Representatives
for Trang 1st District

In office
10 February 1969 – 9 November 2000

Preceded by

Korkieart Sudsen

Succeeded by

Suwan Kusujarit

Personal details

Born

28 July 1938 (age 86)
Mueang Trang, Trang, Siam

Political party

Democrat

Domestic partner

Phakdiporn Sucharitakul [th] (cohabitating wife)

Children

Surabot Leekpai [th]

Alma mater

Thammasat University (LL.B.)
The Thai Bar (Barrister)
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA)

Profession

Politician
Barrister

Signature

Chuan Leekpai (born 28 July 1938) is a well-known Thai politician. He served twice as the Prime Minister of Thailand. This is the top leader of the country. He was also the Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives. This role is like the leader of the main law-making group.

Chuan Leekpai became Prime Minister for the first time in 1992. He was the first Prime Minister in Thailand to reach this position without strong connections to royal families or the military. His first government was a team of five different political parties. He became Prime Minister again in 1997. This was after Thailand faced a big economic challenge called the Asian financial crisis.

Early Life and Education
First Time as Prime Minister (1992–1995)
- Key Policies of His First Government
Second Time as Prime Minister (1997–2001)
Later Political Roles
Personal Life
Awards and Honors
- Awards from Thailand
- Awards from Other Countries
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Chuan Leekpai was born in Muang district, Trang province, Thailand. His father, Niyom Leekpai, was a teacher. Chuan is the third of ten children in his family.

When he was young, Chuan moved to a temple school in Bangkok. He lived there for six years. Later, he studied law at Thammasat University in Bangkok. He then became a lawyer. His family has Chinese roots, going back three generations in Thailand.

First Time as Prime Minister (1992–1995)

After a period of unrest in May 1992, Chuan's Democrat Party won the most seats in the September 1992 election. He formed a government with other parties.

Key Policies of His First Government

Working with Neighbors: His government tried to build good relationships with nearby countries, like Burma.
Planting Trees: A large program was started to plant five million rai (a unit of area) of trees. This was to honor King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 50th year on the throne.
Helping the Economy: Chuan focused on making Thailand's economy stable. He also wanted to share power and opportunities more evenly across the country.

His first government ended because some members faced questions about a land project. This led to public criticism and the government had to step down.

Second Time as Prime Minister (1997–2001)

With United States President Bill Clinton in Wellington, New Zealand at the APEC summit, 1999

Chuan Leekpai became Prime Minister for the second time in November 1997. He took over after the previous government faced challenges from the economic crisis. His new government was a team of six political parties.

Economic Changes

Chuan's second government made many changes to the economy. These changes were meant to help Thailand recover from the financial crisis. Some people felt these changes mostly helped big businesses and made Thailand rely more on foreign money. However, many of these ideas were similar to those used in other successful economies.

Education Improvements

During his second time as Prime Minister, a very important law was passed. This was the National Education Act of 1999. It aimed to improve education across Thailand.

Human Rights and Challenges

Chuan's government faced some criticism regarding human rights. For example, there was a protest by villagers about a dam project. The way it was handled caused concern.

Another issue came up when a former leader, Thanom Kittikachorn, was given an honorary position. Thanom had been involved in a violent event in 1973. He later stepped down from the new position after public outcry.

In 2000, a newspaper editor who often wrote critically about the government was attacked. This raised questions about freedom of the press.

Later Political Roles

Chuan Leekpai (right) as President of the National Assembly of Thailand from 2019 to 2023

After his time as Prime Minister, Chuan Leekpai continued to be an important figure in Thai politics. He served as the Leader of the Opposition. This means he led the main group of politicians who were not part of the government.

From 2019 to 2023, he served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was also the President of the National Assembly of Thailand. These are very important roles in Thailand's government.

Personal Life

Chuan Leekpai has one son, Surabot Leekpai, with his partner Pakdiporn Sujaritkul. He speaks Southern Thai, which is his first language. He is also very good at speaking Central Thai and English.

Awards and Honors

Chuan Leekpai has received many important awards and honors. These include:

Awards from Thailand

Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
Knight Grand Commander (Second Class, higher grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao
Order of Symbolic Propitiousness Ramkeerati
Recipient of the King Rama IX Coronation Medal
25th Buddhist Century Celebration Medal
Serving Free Peoples Medal
First Class (Gold Medal) of the Red Cross Medal of Appreciation

Awards from Other Countries

Grand Collar (Raja) of the Order of Sikatuna from the Philippines (1993)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun from Peru (1999)
Grand Cross of the Order of Christ from Portugal (1999)
Grand Cross of the Order of Rubén Dario from Nicaragua (2000)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania from Romania (2000)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog from Denmark (2001)

Images for kids

Chuan Leekpai's signature

Chuan Leekpai facts for kids

Contents

Early Life and Education

First Time as Prime Minister (1992–1995)

Key Policies of His First Government

Second Time as Prime Minister (1997–2001)

Economic Changes

Education Improvements

Human Rights and Challenges

Later Political Roles

Personal Life

Awards and Honors

Awards from Thailand

Awards from Other Countries

Images for kids

See also