Thailand's Expected Economic Cabinet-Bios

UNCLAS BANGKOK 006080 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PINR TH SUBJECT: Thailand's Expected Economic Cabinet-Bios ¶1. While Thai interim Prime Minister Surayud today told the press that he does not expect to finalize his cabinet until October 11, our sources and many press reports indicate the following probably will be appointed as ministers with economic portfolios. We note that many of these persons, including the two Deputy Prime Ministers, served in the 1991-1992 military appointed government of Anand Panyarachun. Embassy's assessment of the new team and its likely impact on Thailand's economic policies will follow in septel. ¶2. M.R. PRIDIYATHORN DEVAKULA, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministr of Finance. He was appointed as Governor of the Bank of Thailand in May ¶2001. He is also Director and Secretary of Puey Foundation; Director of the Civil Service Commission; Director and Resource Person of the Board of Directors of Thailand Textile Institute Director of the Asian Institute of Technology; an Honorary Member of the Thammasat University Council; and a Member of the Board of Governors of Asian Institute of Management. He began his career in June 1971 at the Thai Farmers Bank rising to Director and Senior Executive Vice President. From December 1990 to February 1991 he was Government Spokesman for Prime Minister General Chatichai Choonhavan. In July 1991 he became Deputy Minister of Commerce For Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun. From April until June 1992 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Commerce under Prime Minister General Suchinda Kraprayoon. From June until October 1992 Deputy Minister of Commerce under Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun. In October 1993 until May 2001 he became President of Export-Import Bank of Thailand. He was also President of the Thammasat Economics Association from 1986 to 1988; President of the Thai Forex Club from 1985 to 1986; and a Senator from 1992-1993. He graduated from Bangkok's St. Gabriel's College in 1964. He earned a Bachelor of Economics (First Class Honors) from Thammasat University in 1968, an MBA (International Business) Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in 1970 and a Diploma from the National Defense College in 1989. He was born on July 15, 1947. ¶3. KOSIT PANPIEMRAS, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture. Former Minister of Finance, Minister of Industry and Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives for Thailand, has been Executive Chairman of Bangkok Bank since January 1999. He joined the Bangkok Bank as Executive Director in 1992. Earlier in his career he was Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) and an economist at the World Bank in Washington. He is a well-known public figure who has received public recognition for his work on national and regional economic development. During his tenure at the World Bank he founded the Modern Agriculture Project to support the use of technology and has set up numerous schemes and training programs to support the development of Small and Medium sized Enterprises. In October 1965 he began his career at the Economic and Social Development Council. In 1972 he worked as an economist at the World Bank in Washington. In 1974 he joined NESDB as Assistant to the Secretary General. 1976 he became Director of the Development Studies Division and 1981 Director of national rural Development Center. In 1982 he again was appointed to Assistant to the Secretary General and in 1986 was appointed Deputy Secretary General. In April 1991 he joined the government as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives; in May 1992 be became the Secretary General to the Prime Minister, The next month, June 1992, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives. In October 1992 he became the Executive Director of Padaeng Industry Pcl. He joined Bangkok Bank Pcl. As Executive Director in September ¶1994. From October to December 1996 he was Minister of Industry. From October to November 1997 he was Minister of Finance. Kosit graduated with a degree in Public Finance from the Faculty of Political Sciences, Chulalongkorn University in 1963 and earned his Masters in Economics at the University of Maryland in 1965. He also earned a degree from Thailand's National Defense College in 1988. He was born on May 28, 1943 in Bangkok and is married with four sons. ¶4. KRIRK-KRAI JIRAPAET, Minister of Commerce. He is Executive Director of the International Institute for Trade and Development, a public organization set up by UNCTAD and the Government of Thailand in 2001; Chairman of Banpu Plc; Chief Negotiator for Thailand-EFTA FTA Negotiations; a Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce; and a Member of the Monetary Policy Board, Bank of Thailand. He started his career in 1967 at the Department of Technical and Economic Co-operation, Office of the Prime Minister, where he served for fourteen years before moving on in 1981 to the Thai News Agency where he served as Director. In 1982, he joined the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce. From 1984 to 1990, he served as Deputy Director General in the Department of Business Economics and until 1987 was responsible for trade policies and multilateral negotiations, commodities research, and CPT. From 1988 to 1990 he served at the Department of Foreign Trade, responsible for bilateral negotiations, import and export regime and regulations. In October 1990, he was promoted to Deputy Permanent Secretary (Trade Negotiations) at the Ministry of Commerce. Between 1993 and 1996, he was Director General of the Department of Business Economics. He has been involved in ASEAN, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),and Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). He helped launched APEC in 1989 and was instrumental in the formation of ASEM in 1996. In 1997, he was appointed Ambassador to the WTO. During his term in Geneva, he served as Chairman of the Working Group on Trade and Investment for two terms from 1996-1998 and Chairman of the Regional Trade Agreements Group in 1999. He also conducted the campaign of Dr. Supachai to become Director General of the WTO in 1998. October 1999 to September 2000, he served as Director General of the Department of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Commerce. October 2000 to September 2001, he served as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce. October 2001 to March 2003, he served as Advisor to the Prime Minister. March 2003 to March 2005, he served as Vice Minister for Tourism and Sports. He has been involved in international trade negotiations at various levels throughout his career. He participated in the Uruguay Round trade negotiations until the formation of the WTO in 1995. He also has been engaged in many bilateral trade negotiations, notably with the United States on textiles and intellectual property rights. In 1994/1995 and 2000/2001 he served as Chairman of Senior Economic Officials Meetings of ASEAN. He holds a B.A. (Honors) degree in Political Science from Chulalongkorn University; a Masters in Economics from Sydney University; a Certificate in Economic Developments from Japan; and a Certificate in Project Appraisal from Oxford University. Born in 1943, he is married to Kanjana and has two sons. ¶5. DR. AJVA TAULANANDA, Minister of Industry. He is Honorary Chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand. He is also Vice Chairman of Charoen Pokphan Group, Vice Chairman of True Corporation Public Company Limited, and Chairman, ACMECS-Thailand Business Council. He joined the Thai Government in 1979 and was twice appointed Deputy Minister of Industry. From 1991 to 1992 he worked at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. From 1994 to 2000 he was Chairman of Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research. January 1998 to February 2001, he was Chairman of Bangkok Metropolitan Bank Public Company Limited. In 2000 he became Chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand. He is also a member and director of various Thai educational and economic development institutions. He was recently appointed as a Member of International Board of Overseas, Illinois Institutes of Technology. He supports environment conservation and youth development, including programs for the underprivileged and handicapped. He holds the following degrees: Honorary Doctorate Degree in Industrial Engineering Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok; Honorary Doctorate Degree in Industrial Engineering Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok; National Defence Course for Joint Public and Private Sector (Class 1); Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology; as a Fullbright Scholar a M.S. in Industrial Engineering Iowa State University; and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. He is a member of Board of Directors at the National Science and Technology Development Agency; Thailand Productivity Institution; Thai Institute of Directors Association; Rangsit University; the National Defense College of Thailand; Member of the Board of Overseers, Illinois Institute of Technology. He is also Chairman of the Queen Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University. ¶6. Piyasvasti Amranand, Minister of Energy. During the period 1980-1992 Mr. Amranand worked on macroeconomic policy as Chief of Planning Technique Section and Director of Economic Analysis and Projection Division, National Economic and Social Development Board. He started work with NEPO in 1986 at the time when NEPO was a division within the Secretariat of the Prime Minister. He joined NEPO as a full time staff when NEPO was upgraded to a department in 1992 and became Secretary General in 1994. Amranand was responsible for the work behind the Energy Conservation Act which became law in 1992 and the establishment of the Energy Conservation Fund. The "Voluntary Program" managed by NEPO promotes the use of renewable energy, particularly biogas from animal farms, and biomass for power generation. The program has also provided funding for solar energy, both for providing incentives for users as well as for research and development. Amranand has been a member of the State Enterprises Performance Evaluation Committee since 1997. He had served as chairman of the working groups responsible for performance evaluation of Telephone Organization of Thailand, Provincial Water Authority, Metropolitan Mass Transit Authority, Express Way and Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand, Krung Thai Bank, Small Industrial Finance Corporation and the Small Industrial Finance Credit Guarantee Corporation. He had also served as a member of Thai Airways Privatization Committee and a member of the Monetary Policy Board in 2000/2001. He completed his 6 year term (the maximum allowed under the Civil Service regulations) as Secretary General of NEPO on 26 May 2000 and became inspector-General of the Office of the Prime Minister. However, he was still responsible for the implementation of the privatization of the Ratchaburi power plant which achieved a successful initial public offering in October ¶2000. Amranand was also the chairman of the committee responsible for the drafting of the Energy Industry Act which was approved by the cabinet at the end of 2000. The Act, when it becomes law, will be crucial for the establishment of competition in the power and gas supply industry as well as thepower pool. In October 2000, Mr. Amranand became the Director General of the Public Relations Department which is responsible for public relations and communications work of the Thai government. The Department also operates Radio Thailand and TV channel 11. In May 2001 Amranand was re-appointed Secretary General of NEPO. In June 2002 Amranand became Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister. The new job involved areas inclduding gender issues, illegal immigrants, mass transit system, EGAT and information technology. Amranand resigned from the civil service from 3 February 2003, and was appointed Chairman of Kasikorn Asset Management Co.,Ltd. on 2 April 2003. KAsset is the largest investment fund in Thailand with assets under management of about 240.8 billion baht at the end of August 2006. Arvizu