Chuan Leekpai
Thai politician
Chuan Leekpai MPCh MVM ThChW (Chinese: 呂基文; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lū Ki-bûn, Thai: ชวน หลีกภัย, RTGS: Chuan Likphai, pronounced [tɕʰūan lìːk.pʰāj]; born 28 July 1938) is a Thai politician who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 1992 to 1995, and from 1997 to 2001. He was President of the National Assembly of Thailand and speaker of the Thai House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023; he also held the latter role from 1986 to 1988.
As the leader of the Democrat Party, Chuan was elected in September 1992, becoming Thailand's first prime minister to come to power without either aristocratic or military backing. His first administration consisted of a five party coalition of the Democrat, New Aspiration, Palang Dhamma, Social Action, and Social Unity Parties until he was defeated in the 1995 election, but assumed power in late-1997 following the fall of the Chavalit Yongchaiyudh administration, which was held responsible for the economic crisis that beset Thailand that year. Although criticised as a slow actor and allowing numerous corruption scandals, Chuan managed to meet factional demands and extend Thailand's social security system.
Early life
Chuan was born to ethnic Chinese parents on 28 July 1938 in Mueang Thap Thiang, Trang province, Thailand, to a teacher, Niyom Leekpai and Tuan Leekpai, Chuan has nine siblings and is the third child in the family. He would later move to the temple school at Wat Amarintraram in Bangkok where he lived for six years. He went on to study law at Thammasat University, Bangkok and later became a barrister-at-laws of the Thai Bar Association. Chuan is ethnic Hokkien, coming from a third-generation Thai Chinese.
Early political career
Chuan joined the Democrat Party at the age of 31 and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1969 in his home province of Trang.
“Chuan Leekpai” enters the record as thai politician. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Chuan, Leekpai and Thai can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Chuan Leekpai” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Chuan, Leekpai and Thai provides the most credible route into that argument.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q464301. VIAF identifies the subject as 13909701. The Library of Congress control number is n89287673. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1938, 1992, 1995 and 1997.
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