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1650 = = = Education = = = |
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1651 Born 8 July 1948 in Lampang , Thailand , Saprang graduated from the 7th Class of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School ( AFAPS ) and the 18th Class of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy . His classmates included General Paisan Katanyu ( appointed Deputy Army Commander after the coup ) , Admiral Bann... |
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1652 = = = Early career = = = |
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1653 Saprang started his military career in 1969 as Rifle Platoon Leader in the 3rd Infantry Battalion , 4th Regimental Combat Team . He claims to have fought 200 battles during the course of his military career . |
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1654 He was appointed Commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment in 1982 , stationed in Nakhonsawan ( on the northwestern border with Burma ) . In 1985 , he became Commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion in the 19th Infantry Regiment , stationed in Surasee Fort , Kanchanaburi ( on the western... |
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1655 He was then promoted to be Regimental Commanding Officer of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in 1990 . In 1991 , he began a six @-@ year stint as Regimental Commanding Officer of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy . |
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1656 In April 1997 , Saprang was shortly transferred to the Ministry of Defense as a staff officer , before being promoted in October 1997 to Commanding General of the 15th Infantry Division , at the time stationed in Pran Buri , Prachuap Khiri Khan Province . In 2003 , he was promoted to 3rd Corps Commander . In 2004... |
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1657 = = = 2006 Coup = = = |
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1658 In a surprise to many observers , Saprang was promoted to 3rd Army Area Commander in October 2005 , headquartered in Phitsanulok and responsible most of northern and northeastern Thailand . Analysts had expected Prime Minister Thaksin to promote his own classmates from AFAPS Class 10 to the powerful position inst... |
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1659 Saprang and Sonthi started planning for the coup 7 to 8 months in advance , in approximately February 2006 . Coup planning occurred prior to the April 2006 elections , during Thaksin 's controversial sale of Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings and the peak of the People 's Alliance for Democracy 's campaign to o... |
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1660 In the weeks leading up to coup , Saprang openly mobilised soldiers and northern residents to rebel against the government . Saprang played a key role on the evening of 19 September 2006 , securing Thaksin 's home town and power base of Chiang Mai . That same night , he was appointed assistant Secretary @-@ Gener... |
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1661 = = After the 2006 coup = = |
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1662 A week after the coup , Saprang was promoted to Assistant Army Commander , alongside fellow coup leader Anupong Paochinda . His predecessor , General Pornchai Kranlert , had not taken part in the coup and was transferred to an inactive position . Saprang was also promoted from Lieutenant General to General . |
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1663 = = = CNS Special Operations Center = = = |
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1664 On 27 December 2006 , it was revealed that the Cabinet had approved over half a billion baht worth of funding for a 14 @,@ 000 @-@ man secret anti @-@ protest special operations force , of which General Saprang was Commander . The so @-@ called CNS Special Operations Center , funded with 556 million baht diverted... |
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1665 = = = TOT and CAT Telecom = = = |
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1666 Saprang was appointed by the junta to become Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports of Thailand ( AoT ) and also Chairman of the Boards of TOT and CAT Telecom , two major state @-@ owned telecommunication companies . Saprang 's first move as TOT Chairman was to hand @-@ pick three Army colonels and vocal ... |
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1667 Saprang noted in an interview that , " if telecommunication businesses are in private hands , the country won 't be safe . " The junta had earlier announced plans to cancel the initial public offering of both TOT and CAT Telecom and to merge the two state enterprises . |
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1668 Under Saprang 's leadership , TOT reaffirmed its ownership rights to all existing backbone telecommunications networks under a new strategy to act as a " genuine " national telecom company . The new strategy was expected to increase political and business tensions . Under the Build @-@ Transfer @-@ Operate ( BTO ... |
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1669 Vuthiphong was fired from the TOT board and his position of acting TOT President in June 2007 . He immediately accused the Army of using the TOT as an unmonitored slush fund . He claimed that an unnamed Army unit had requested that TOT buy it 800 million baht worth of electronic equipment . Upon receiving the req... |
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1670 Under his leadership , TOT 's performance dropped . Revenues for the first half of 2007 fell 13 % year @-@ on @-@ year , while net profit fell 36 @.@ 1 % . Fixed line revenue dropped 16 % , while public telephone and international call revenue by 30 % each . |
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1671 As Chairman of CAT Telecom , Saprang was accused by the founders of People 's Television ( PTV ) , a new satellite television station , of being behind CAT Telecom 's refusal to grant an internet link from Bangkok to a satellite up @-@ link station in Hong Kong . PTV was established by several ex @-@ executives o... |
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1672 Under Saprang 's leadership , 80 @,@ 000 subscribers of Thai Mobile , a TOT / CAT joint venture mobile phone operator , were cut off temporarily in early May 2007 when owners TOT and CAT Telecom failed to pay the bills of a major supplier . Thai Mobile had accumulated significant losses and the company was not ab... |
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1673 = = = Airports of Thailand = = = |
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1674 = = = = Purging of AoT management = = = = |
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1675 A week after Saprang hinted at a reshuffle of AoT top management , AoT President Chotisak Asapaviriya was forced to resign , citing health reasons , while the Directors of Suvarnabhumi Airport and AoT Commercial Operations were dismissed . Police Commissioner General Seripisut Temiyavej was appointed as an AoT Di... |
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1676 = = = = Suvarnabhumi Airport = = = = |
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1677 As AoT Chairman , Saprang spearheaded an effort to reopen Don Muang Airport in parallel with the newly opened Suvarnabhumi Airport , despite objections from the Civil Aviation Department , airlines , and internal studies within Airports of Thailand . 60 airlines threatened to halt flights to Thailand if they were... |
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1678 Saprang also refused to authorize urgent repairs on the airport tarmac , despite warnings from engineers . Karun Chandrarangsu , president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand noted , " Suvarnabhumi is like a patient in a coma who continues to suffer from severe bleeding . Stopping the blood flow now is more ... |
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1679 The airport faced ongoing operational challenges , including a computer virus that shut down the automated luggage bomb @-@ scanning system in June 2007 . A study by the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) released in July 2007 found the airport unsafe , citing numerous spots where checked passengers... |
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1680 Serious security gaps at Suvarnabhumi Airport became known to the public beginning in early 2007 . The International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) found that there were many spots in the passenger terminal where checked passengers can meet people who have not passed through security checks and could receive ... |
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1681 = = = = Trip to Europe = = = = |
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1682 On Tuesday 27 February 2007 , Saprang led a 13 @-@ member delegation to Europe , on what was claimed to be a week @-@ long trip to study safety and security measures at major European airports . Many delegates and accompanying members shared the same surname , and the trip , which cost 7 @.@ 2 million baht was at... |
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1683 = = = = Financial performance = = = = |
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1684 The first quarter after Saprang was appointed Chairman , AoT profits plunged 90 % compared to the previous year , despite higher traffic volumes and increased passenger service charters and airline fees . Operating expenses surged 137 % , contributing to the AoT 's worst quarterly earnings report since it was lis... |
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1685 The AoT board also granted 200 million baht to the Army , which had requested a financial donation . AoT also lent some of its explosives detectors to the Army for use in the South Thailand insurrection . |
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1686 Financial performance continued to spiral downwards in the 3rd quarter of 2007 . Net profit for the period ending June fell by 84 % from a year before , despite higher traffic and a 17 @.@ 9 % increase in revenue . The fall in profit was attributed to AoT 's court case against King Power , the operator of duty @-... |
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1687 = = = Thaksin Shinawatra = = = |
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1688 Saprang had long been a fierce critic of Thaksin Shinawatra , and prior to the coup had even called Thaksin 's supporters within the military " evil . " After the coup , Saprang called Thaksin a " traitor " and said that he should be " banished to live forever in the jungle . " |
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1689 He also accused Thaksin of spying on the military while he was Prime Minister . |
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1690 Although Saprang and General Sonthi accused Thaksin of insulting and disrespecting King Bhumibol , he noted that the junta did not pursue lèse majesté charges against Thaksin because " the police corrupted the evidence " , and delivered such a weak case that the attorney @-@ general could not file a lawsuit . A v... |
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1691 Saprang also suspected that Oliver Jufer , a Swiss man who was jailed for lèse majesté for spraying paint on a portrait of image of King Bhumibol , was hired by somebody to perform his vandalism . Saprang ordered a military investigation into the matter . The results have not been made public . |
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1692 = = = 2007 New Years bombings = = = |
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1693 Saprang had a public confrontation with former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh regarding the 2006 Bangkok New Year 's Eve bombings after Chavalit accused him of incompetence . Saprang claimed that " the evidence and intelligence information proves that the bombs were the dirty work of politicians who lost po... |
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1694 In May 2007 , Saprang claimed that he had information regarding the seizure of instructional manual on terrorism in Bangkok from a London apartment by English soldiers and police . He said he could not disclose any further information , but told the public to connect the dots themselves . Days later , a bomb expl... |
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1695 = = = Resignation of Pridiyathorn Devakula = = = |
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1696 Saprang was implicated in the resignation of Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula on 28 February 2007 . The Bangkok Post reported that Pridiyathorn resigned in protest after a CNS member lobbied him to sell shares of IRPC ( formerly known as Thai Petrochemical Industry ) back to a former shareholder . The newsp... |
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1697 Chienchuang 's relations with the junta came under further public scrutiny when it was revealed that he was hired by the junta in order to lead a campaign to discredit deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra . Politicians hired as part of the CNS campaign included Chat Pattana party leader Korn Dabbaransi , Democrats ... |
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1698 = = = Mad dogs and machine guns = = = |
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1699 Saprang was an extremely vocal critic of those who he perceived as his political opponents . In an interview with Thai Rath ( Thailand 's most popular newspaper ) on 8 April 2007 , he called an unspecified enemy a " mad dog " who he claimed was destroying the monarchy . He said that it was necessary to shoot the ... |
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