General Prem Tinsulanonda (Thai: เปรม ติณสูลานนท์; RTGS: Prem Tinnasulanon; pronunciation: ; born August 26, 1920) is a retired Thai military officer who served as Prime Minister of Thailand from March 3, 1980 to August 4, 1988. He now serves as the Head of the Privy Council of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In the Thai political crisis of the 2000s, he was accused by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his supporters of being a mastermind of the 2006 coup as well as in the appointment of the post-coup legislature and Interim Government of Surayud Chulanont. The military junta that ousted the legally occupying Thaksin denied that Prem had any important political role.
Prem, as the Chief of the Privy Council, is a leader in promoting King Bhumibol's ideologies and royal projects though he has sometimes represented himself as being the voice of the king. He has always urged Thai society to follow the king's advice and has himself founded several welfare projects related to education, drug suppression, poverty, and national unity. A southerner, Prem has also dealt personally with trying to resolve the South Thailand insurgency.
Read more about Prem Tinsulanonda: Education, Military, and Political Career, Prime Minister of Thailand, Privy Councilor and Statesman, Educational Activities, March 2006 Blast: Prem-Thaksin Antagonism, Role in Political Crisis and 2006 Coup, Prem and April 2009 Protest of Thaksin's Supporters, Royal Decorations