Banharn Silpa-archa

Banharn Silpa-Archa บรรหาร ศิลปอาชา ThC PPh MPCh MWM
21st Prime Minister of Thailand
In office July 13, 1995 – November 24, 1996
Monarch	Rama IX
Preceded by	Chuan Leekpai
Succeeded by	Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
4th Leader of the Opposition in House of Representatives of Thailand
In office May 27, 1994 – May 19, 1995
Monarch	Rama IX
Preceded by	Praman Adireksan
Succeeded by	Chuan Leekpai
Personal details
Born	August 19, 1932 (1932-08-19) (age 79) Suphanburi Province, Thailand
Nationality	Thai
Political party	Chart Thai Party
Spouse(s)	Jamsai Silpa-Archa
Signature

Banharn Silpa-archa (parts of his name also spelt variously Banhan, Silapa-, Sinlapa-, and -acha;^[1][2] Thai: บรรหาร ศิลปอาชา Bànhăan Sĭnlábpà-aachaa , born 19 August 1932) was the 21st Prime Minister of Thailand, from 13 July 1995 to 24 November 1996. He has been a veteran Sino-Thai Member of Parliament since 1976 as the elected representative of Suphanburi province. Since then, he has enjoyed unchallenged domination in Suphanburi. In every election he participated, he won by a landslide victory, receiving on average 60 to 90 per cent of the votes cast. Since 1994, he has been the leader of the opposition, Chart Thai Party, one of the oldest parties in Thailand. Between 1995 and 1996, he was the Prime Minister. During a state visit by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in October 1996 he mistakenly referred to her as Queen Elizabeth Taylor receiving many ridicules and criticisms as a result.^[3]

Throughout this seemingly versatile career, however, Banharn has been involved in numerous corruption scandals one of which diminished the concordance in his administration and caused him to resign. Many Thais call him all sorts of pejorative names, such as "Mr. ATM", portraying him as a politician who dispenses dirty money under the table to anyone who needs it. His short-lived yet highly inept administration is also believed to have paved the way for the economic crisis of 1997.

Born in Suphanburi Province, he is a Thai Chinese,^[4] with ancestry from Chaoyang.^[5] Part of his Thai name, Archa (อาชา), is a translation of his Chinese surname, Mǎ (馬), meaning "horse". On 21 January 2008, Banharn held a press conference in which he officially announced the merging of his Chart Thai Party with Thai Rak Thai's nominee party, the People's Power Party. Because he had earlier vowed before the Emerald Buddha never to rejoin Thaksin because of the corruption scandals, Banharn has been given a new nickname — "Slippery Eel."

Upon the dissolution of his Chart Thai Party by the Constitutional Court on 2 December 2008, Banharn Silpa-archa was banned from politics for five years.

Banharn heads a family of politicians. His younger brother, Chumpol Silpa-archa is the leader of the Chartthaipattana Party, successor to the Chart Thai Party, and was Minister of Tourism and Sports in the cabinet of Abhisit Vejjajiva. His son Warawut was deputy transport minister, and his daughter Kanchana was deputy education minister.^[6]

Royal decorations

Banharn has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand:

• Knight Commander (Second Class, lower grade) of The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao
• Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn
• 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
• Red Cross Medal of Appreciation (First Class)
• Border Service Medal

References

1. ^ Biography at www.cabinet.thaigov.go.th
2. ^ The Nation online search
3. ^ http://russiatoday.com/Politics/2009-08-27/10-silliest-quotes-politicians.html Russia Today.com
4. ^ Carl Parkes. Moon Handbooks: Thailand. Avalon Travel Publishing. ISBN 1566911737. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1566911737. 
5. ^ 泰國客家社團鄉情報告
6. ^ Tumcharoen, Surasak (4 Jan 2009), "Keeping it in the family", Bangkok Post, http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/9109/keeping-it-in-the-family, retrieved 9 July 2011 

External links

• Opening Statement - to the Fifth ASEAN Summit
• 'In search of good publicity' - Bangkok Post article

Preceded by Chuan Leekpai

Prime Minister of Thailand 1995-1996

Succeeded by Chavalit Yongchaiyudh

Persondata
Name	Sipla-Archa, Banharn
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 19, 1932
Place of birth	Suphanburi Province, Thailand
Date of death
Place of death