Saprang Kalayanamitr

General
Saprang Kalayanamitr
Assistant Secretary-General of the Council for National Security
In office
19 September 2006 – 7 February 2008
Preceded byNone
Commander of the Council for National Security Special Operations Center
In office
1 December 2006 – 7 February 2008
Preceded byNone
Assistant Commander of the Royal Thai Army
In office
1 October 2006 – 30 September 2007
Serving with Anupong Paochinda
Personal details
Born(1948-07-08)8 July 1948
Lampang, Thailand
Died21 November 2023(2023-11-21) (aged 75)
Bangkok, Thailand
Political partyNone
SpouseViphada Kalayanamitr
OccupationMilitary officer
Military service
Branch/serviceRoyal Thai Army
Years of service1970–2008
RankGeneral

General Saprang Kalayanamitr (Thai: สพรั่ง กัลยาณมิตร; RTGS: Sa-phrang Kanlayanamit, also known as Poei (Thai: เปย) or Big Poei (Thai: บิ๊กเปย), 8 July 1948 – 21 November 2023) was an officer of the Royal Thai Army, Assistant Secretary-General of the Council for National Security (CNS), Commander of the junta's 14,000-man anti-protest force, chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports of Thailand (AoT), and also Chairman of the Boards of TOT and CAT Telecom, two major Thai state-owned telecommunication companies.

Saprang served for nearly three decades in the army cavalry corps, and was promoted to 3rd Army Region Commander in 2005. He was a key leader of the September 2006 coup that overthrew the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.[1][2]

Saprang was one of the fiercest critics of Thaksin Shinawatra, calling him a "traitor" and claiming that he should be "banished to live forever in the jungle."[3] Upon appointment to chair AoT and TOT, he purged the management, initiated investigations into the overthrown government, and donated 200 million baht of the agency's funds to the Army. He fired the President of TOT for questioning an 800 million baht donation that the agency made to the Army. As head of CAT Telecom, he was accused of blocking attempts to launch PTV, a new television station founded by ex-leaders of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party.

Saprang was considered one of the top contenders to lead the army and the junta after CNS leader Sonthi Boonyaratkalin's mandatory retirement in 2007.[4] However, in September 2007 he was demoted to be Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Defense Ministry, while his rival, General Anupong Paochinda, was promoted to lead the Army. As a result, Saprang retired from the Army in 2008.

  1. ^ The Nation, Secret military division deployed, 27 December 2006 Archived 6 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Bangkok Post, CNS to have own B500m peace-keeping force Archived 25 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine, 27 December 2006
  3. ^ The Nation, Deposed PM criticized for attacking sufficiency economy, 7 February 2007 Archived 9 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ The Nation, 10 Newsmakers in 2006, 3 January 2007 Archived 7 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine