Seni Pramoj

Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj หม่อมราชวงศ์เสนีย์ ปราโมช
6th Prime Minister of Thailand
In office September 17, 1945 – January 31, 1946 February 15, 1975 – March 13, 1975 April 20, 1976 – October 6, 1976
Monarch	Rama VIII Rama IX
Preceded by	Tawee Boonyaket (1945) Sanya Dharmasakti (1975) Kukrit Pramoj (1976)
Succeeded by	Khuang Abhaiwongse (1946) Kukrit Pramoj (1975) Tanin Kraivixien (1976)
1st Leader of the Opposition in House of Representatives of Thailand
In office March 22, 1975 – January 12, 1976
Monarch	Rama IX
Preceded by	None, Office created
Succeeded by	Praman Adireksan
Personal details
Born	May 26, 1905(1905-05-26)
Died	July 28, 1997(1997-07-28) (aged 92)
Nationality	Thai
Political party	Democrat Party
Other political affiliations	Free Thai Movement
Alma mater	University of Oxford
Profession	Lawyer

Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj (May 26, 1905 – July 28, 1997) (Thai: หม่อมราชวงศ์เสนีย์ ปราโมช, RTGS: Seni Pramot, pronunciation: [sěː.niː praː.môːt]) was three times the prime minister of Thailand and a politician in the Democrat Party. A member of the Thai royal family, he was a descendant of King Rama II.

Biography

Born a son of HH Prince Khamrob and Mom Daeng (Bunnag),^[1] he was educated at Trent College in Derbyshire before obtaining a second-class degree in Law from Worcester College, Oxford. He continued his studies at Gray's Inn, London, receiving first honours. After returning to Thailand he studied Thai Law, and following six months as a trainee at the Supreme Court, he started to work at the Justice Civil Court. Later, he was transferred to the Foreign Ministry and was sent to the United States to be the Thai ambassador.

Free Thai Movement

Japanese forces invaded Thailand early on the morning of December 8, 1941 - shortly before the attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Prime Minister, Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, ordered a ceasefire at noon, entering into an armistice that allowed the Japanese to use Thai military installations in their invasion of Malaya and Burma. On December 21, a formal military alliance with Japan was concluded.

The Phibun government declared war on Great Britain and the United States on January 25, 1942. Although the Thai ambassador in London delivered Thailand's declaration of war to the British administration, Seni refused to do so. Instead, he considered organising a resistance movement in the United States.

Following a late morning interview with Secretary Cordell Hull on December 8, Seni returned to his legation to confer with his staff. The ambassador and his staff unanimously decided to cast their lot with the Allies. Late the same afternoon, he returned to the State Department to offer their services to the Allied cause. Blaming pro-Japanese elements for the early Thai surrender, he spoke to Hull of unfreezing Thai assets in the United States for further prosecution of the war and suggested that the Thais in the country might “organise and preserve a government of true patriotic, liberty-loving Thais while his government is in the clutches of Japan.”

The State Department decided to act as if Seni continued to represent Thailand. This enabled him to tap into the frozen Thai assets. When asked to draw up a list of “reliable and influential Thai nationals known to be definitely patriotic and anti-Japanese” by the State Department (at the suggestion of John P. Davies), Seni named Regent Pridi Phanomyong, politicians Khuang Aphaiwong and Wilat Osathanon, and diplomats Phraya Sisena and Direk Jayanama as “reliables”.

Seni advanced plans to mobilise Thai volunteers in support of the Allies. Beyond the legation staffers and their families, most other Thai residents were students enrolled at colleges and universities, including institutions such as Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Cornell. Many chose to stay following the Thai declaration of war in January, refusing repatriation. Most, like Seni, saw their nation as a victim of Japanese aggression.

Post-war years

Seni became Prime Minister on September 17, 1945, the day he returned to Bangkok. However, he found his position as the head of a cabinet packed with Pridi’s loyalists quite uncomfortable. Northeastern populist politicians like Tiang Sirikhanth and Bangkok newcomers like Sanguan Tularaksa were not people the aristocratic Seni preferred to associate with. They, in turn, viewed Seni as an elitist who was entirely out of touch with Thailand’s political realities.^[2] Pridi continued to wield power behind the scenes as he had done during the Khuang government. The regent’s looming presence and overarching authority rankled the proud, thin-skinned Seni, fuelling a personal animosity that would poison Thailand’s postwar politics.

The Pramoj brothers subsequently joined the newly-formed Democrat Party in 1946, which was for the most part made up of royalists and conservative reactionaries. Seni would spend the next two years vigorously carrying out a personal campaign against Pridi. Earlier in the year he had called for an investigation of the use of the $500,000 in Thai assets unfrozen by the US government that he had turned over to the OSS. Insinuating the money had been transferred to the senior statesman, he lamented that "most of the money had not been spent for what it was intended." An independent investigatory panel, however, found no mistake, concluding that the Free Thai had "performed remarkably well" and that the Thai people "owe a great deal to them."^[3] The outcome left the ex-prime minister looking extremely foolish.

Seni soon got his revenge, however. In the immediate aftermath of King Ananda Mahidol's death Seni and his party launched relentless attacks against the government and accused Pridi of being responsible for the king's assassination, the implausibility of the charge notwithstanding.^[4]

In November 1947 the Democrat Party cooperated with disgruntled army officers to oust the government of Thawan Thamrongnawasawat. As part of the deal, Seni was awarded a cabinet portfolio in Khuang's coup-installed cabinet.

The 1970s

Seni returned to his job as a lawyer, but remained active in the Democrat Party during the period of military rule. He served again briefly as prime minister from February 17 to March 17, 1975, when he was defeated and replaced by his younger brother, Mom Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj. However, Kukrit's government only lasted until April 21, 1976, when Seni regained the top political office.

Seni's final term was a time of crisis in the nation. A rightwing backlash against leftist student demonstrators culminated in the Thammasat University massacre on October 6, 1976, and the military forced him out of office.

Seni decided to resign as the leader of the Democrat Party and left politics permanently. He worked as a lawyer until his retirement.

References

1. ^ An Impressive Day at M.R. Kukrit's Home; Thailand Bibliography
2. ^ Prince Suphasawatwongsanit Sawadiwat. A Memorandum on Certain Aspects of Siamese Politics. Wanthani. 
3. ^ E. Bruce Reynolds. Thailand's Secret War. Cambridge University Press. 
4. ^ Larry Allen Niksch. United States Foreign Policy in Thailand's World War II Peace Settlements. Georgetown University. 

External links

• Biography at the Thai government
• The Home of M R Kukrit Pramoj - a legacy of Thailand's famous son
• Asian History

Preceded by Tawee Boonyaket	Prime Minister of Thailand 1945-1946	Succeeded by Khuang Abhaiwongse
Preceded by Sanya Dharmasakti	Prime Minister of Thailand 1975	Succeeded by Kukrit Pramoj
Preceded by Kukrit Pramoj	Prime Minister of Thailand 1976	Succeeded by Military rule
Preceded by office established	Leader of the Opposition 1975-1976	Succeeded by Praman Adireksan

Persondata
Name	Seni Pramoj
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 26, 1905
Place of birth
Date of death	July 28, 1997
Place of death