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Thanat Khoman
ถนัด คอมันตร์
Thanat Khoman.jpg
Thanat Khoman c. 1975
Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
In office
11 March 1981 – 19 March 1983
Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda
In office
3 March 1980 – 28 February 1981
Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda
Leader of the Democrat Party
In office
26 May 1979 – 3 April 1982
Preceded by Seni Pramoj
Succeeded by Bhichai Rattakul
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
20 February 1959 – 17 November 1971
Prime Minister
Preceded by Prince Wan Waithayakon
Succeeded by Thanom Kittikachorn
Personal details
Born (1914-05-09)9 May 1914
Bangkok, Siam
Died 3 March 2016(2016-03-03) (aged 101)
Bangkok, Thailand
Nationality Thai
Political party Democrat Party
Other political
affiliations		 Free Thai Movement
Spouse Molee Khoman
Alma mater
Military service
Allegiance  Thailand
Branch/service  Royal Thai Army
Years of service 1963–2016
Rank RTA OF-6 (Brigadier).svg Senior Colonel

Thanat Khoman (born May 9, 1914 – died March 3, 2016) was an important Thai diplomat and politician. He helped guide Thailand's relationships with other countries for many years. Thanat served as the foreign minister from 1959 to 1971. Later, he became the leader of the Democrat Party from 1979 to 1982. He also held the role of deputy prime minister from 1980 to 1983. Thanat Khoman lived to be 101 years old, passing away just before his 102nd birthday.

Early Life and Education

Thanat Khoman was born in Bangkok, Thailand. His family had Chinese roots. His father, Phraya Phiphaksa Satayathipatai, was one of the first people to graduate from law school in Siam (the old name for Thailand). He even became a judge on the highest court in Thailand.

Thanat went to Assumption College in Bangkok. After that, he moved to France to continue his studies. He graduated from a high school in Bordeaux. He received a scholarship from the Thai foreign ministry, which helped him study further. He earned degrees from the Institute of Higher International Studies and Sciences Po in 1939. In 1940, he received a law degree from the University of Paris.

Diplomatic Career

After finishing his studies, Thanat had to work for the Thai diplomatic service. This was because the foreign ministry had paid for his education.

World War II Service

During World War II, Thanat worked as a second secretary at the Thai embassy in Tokyo. This was from 1941 to 1943. During this time, Thailand made an agreement with Japan. This agreement allowed Japanese troops to move through Thailand. Japan used Thailand as a base to attack British areas like Burma and Malaya. This led to Thailand joining the war on the side of the Axis powers.

However, Thanat did not agree with Japan's strong influence over Thailand. He joined the Seri Thai (meaning "Free Thai") resistance group. This group was supported by British and American secret services. In February 1945, he was part of a secret group that met with the Allied forces in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

Post-War Diplomacy

After World War II, Thanat held several diplomatic jobs. He worked at Thai embassies in Washington, D.C. and Delhi. In 1950, he was chosen to lead the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) in New York City.

From 1952 to 1957, he was the deputy to Thailand's main representative at the United Nations. In 1957, he became the Ambassador of Thailand to the United States.

Political Career

JFK Thanat Khoman
Thanat Khoman with United States President John F. Kennedy at the White House, 1961

On February 10, 1959, Thanat Khoman became the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Thailand. He served in the government led by Prime Minister Sarit Thanarat. His most important work was helping countries in Southeast Asia get along and work together.

He took part in SEATO discussions in 1961. In March 1962, he signed an agreement with the United States Secretary of State, Dean Rusk. In this agreement, the United States promised to support Thailand against possible communist attacks. Even though it was an informal agreement, Thailand saw it as a strong promise between the two countries. It became known as the Thanat–Rusk Communiqué.

In the 1960s, Thanat helped solve problems between Indonesia and Malaysia. Because of his efforts, Bangkok was chosen as the place to start the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on August 8, 1967. This showed how much people respected his role in creating this important group. He left his foreign minister job on November 17, 1971, after a sudden change in government.

After leaving his role as foreign minister, Thanat entered national politics in 1979. He became the chairman of the Democrat Party and held this position until 1982. From 1980 to 1982, he was also the deputy prime minister under Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda. In 1982, he retired from political life. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 2014.

Honours

Thanat Khoman received many awards and honours throughout his life, both from Thailand and from other countries. These awards recognized his important work as a diplomat and politician.

  • 1968 - Order of Chula Chom Klao - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon.svg Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao
  • 1968 - Order of the White Elephant - Special Class (Thailand) ribbon.svg Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the White Elephant
  • 1960 - Order of the Crown of Thailand - Special Class (Thailand) ribbon.svg Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
  • 1966 - Dushdi Mala - Civilian (Thailand).svg Dushdi Mala - Medal for Distinguished Services in Arts and Sciences (Silpa Vidhya)
  • 1942 - Medal for Service in the Interior - Indochina (Thailand) ribbon.svg Medal for Service in the Interior - Indochina
  • 1963 - Border Service Medal (Thailand) ribbon.svg Border Service Medal
  • 1966 - Chakrabarti Mala Medal (Thailand) ribbon.svg Chakrabarti Mala Medal
  • 1960 - King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon.svg King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal 2nd

Foreign Honours

See also

  • Grand Marshals of the Rose Parade
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