Kriangsak Chatichai
| Kriangsak Chatichai เกรียงศักดิ์ ชาติชัย | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chatichai in 2021 | |
| President of Masuka | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 8 July 2012 | |
| Deputy | Siddhi Sintawichai |
| Preceded by | Norraworn Pradchaphet |
| Chairman of the Masukan National Justice Party | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 15 May 2012 | |
| Deputy | Siddhi Sintawichai |
| Grand Marshal of the Masukan National Armed Forces | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 8 July 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Chairman of the Masukan Transitional National Government | |
| In office 15 May 2010 – 15 May 2012 | |
| President | Norraworn Pradchaphet |
| Commander of the Military Security Command | |
| In office 27 August 2001 – 15 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Somwang Khuntilanont |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1957 (age 65) Nong Wua So, Lamphu, Masuka |
| Nationality |  Masuka
|
| Political party | Masukan National Justice Party |
| Spouse(s) | Winai Chatichai |
| Children | Chiradet Chatichai, Chomanan Chatichai, Sarai Chatichai, Chinawoot Chatichai |
| Residence | Presidential Palace, Lek Thong |
| Religion | Siddhism |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Masukan People's Army Masukan National Armed Forces |
| Years of service | 1975-Present |
| Rank | Grand Marshal |
Kriangsak Chatichai (เกรียงศักดิ์ ชาติชัย; born 3 April 1957) is a Masukan politician and Masukan National Armed Forces officer who has been the President of Masuka since 8 July 2012. He is also the Grand Marshal of the Masukan National Armed Forces. Chatichai was previously the commander of the Military Security Command of the Masukan People's Army Ground Force during the socialist regime, and led a coup d'état at the end of the 2010 Masukan War that installed the Transitional National Government (TNG), a military junta which governed Masuka between 15 May 2010 to 8 July 2012.
Chatichai was born in 1957 in the town of Nong Wua So in Lamphu Province. He was conscripted into the Masukan People's Army in 1975 and eventually signed on as an career officer, becoming a close associate of Charnvirakul Bhichit. When Bhichit seized power in the 2001 coup, Chatichai was promoted to commander of the Military Security Command, the military counterintelligence unit of the Masukan People's Army. At some point, there was a falling out between Chatichai and Bhichit. In 2010, Heian Cooperation Organisation nations invaded Masuka due to its increasing instability and threat to freedom of navigation in the region. During the brief conflict, Chatichai surrendered to the HECO forces and offered to head a post-war government. On 15 May 2010, Chatichai and loyal officers took over the Masukan Presidential Palace after HECO troops had secured Lek Thong and established the TNG with himself as chairman, ordering the remaining Masukan military forces to surrender, signing a peace treaty with HECO, and ending the war.
Working closely with the newly-established, HECO-led Crosswind Region Security Assistance Force (YOCHIBU), Chatichai's regime aimed to rebuild Masuka and reintegrate the country into the global order. In May 2012, Chatichai stepped down as Chairman of the TNG to assume the position of Chairman of the newly-formed Masukan National Justice Party, running for president in the 2012 elections, initially winning with 103% of the votes and later winning with "only" 87% of votes after a YOCHIBU-mandated recount. Though the Ordic League issued a formal statement of protest against the widespread corruption that had resulted in this result, this was ignored by Chatichai and the YOCHIBU.
Early life and education
Masukan People's Army (1975-2010)
Transitional National Government (2010-2012)
Norraworn Pradchaphet was the first President of Masuka, a caretaker president who is one of Chatichai's lackeys. He was the former Minister of Defence and most importantly was a civilian.
President of Masuka (2012-Present)
Marshal-General Siddhi Sintawichai, the Vice-President, is Kriangsak's right hand man and also the commander of the Elephant Corps.
Personal life
Kriangsak Chatichai is married to Winai Chatichai, who is the president of the Masukan Women's League. He has three sons, Chiradet, Chomanan, and Chinawoot, and one daughter, Sarai. The eldest son Chiradet Chatichai holds the rank of General in the Masukan Air Force and was previously a fighter pilot in the communist period. He currently serves as the Masukan Representative at the Ordic League, attaining brief global notoriety in an internet meme in 2019 when he gave a rambling, semi-coherent speech in Yashiman in the General Assembly. Chomanan Chatichai is currently the Vice-Minister of Infrastructure. The other Chatichai children and their families generally keep low profiles.
Chatichai is known to consult with soothsayers and fortune tellers prior to making important decisions. He often visits a fortune teller in the western slums of Lek Thong, who was reportedly relocated there from Nong Wua So in 2012 just prior to the presidential election that year.