Thanin Kraivichien, an anti-communist judge who became Thailand’s prime minister after a 1976 military coup but was ousted by another coup a year later because of his hardline policies, has died at age 97, his family announced.
Thanin had become prime minister after a tumultuous three-year period of liberal democracy that followed decades of military rule. The social conflicts that surfaced under democracy and the communist takeover of Thailand’s three eastern neighbors — Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia — destabilized the country and set the stage for a right-wing comeback.
According to Thailand: A Country Study, compiled by American University as a U.S. Government publication, Thanin’s authoritarian regime had led to disunity in the government, economic deterioration, delay in the democratic transition, and popular discontent. There was evidence, however, that Thanin’s tough actions against corruption undercut his support from powerful figures both in the government and outside.
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