Thirayuth boonmi

Thirayuth Boonmi is one of Thailand's most respected public intellectuals.

In 1973 Thirayuth was a 23-year-old engineering student and the leader of the National Student’s Council of Thailand, which effectively overthrew the military dictatorship which had ruled Thailand for years.

Since those heady student days Thirayuth's life has taken many twists and turns. In October 1976 the Thai military once again seized power in a coup and he fled into the jungle where he joined the Communist Party of Thailand. After five years in the jungle Thirayuth returned to Bangkok before accepting a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague. On returning to Bangkok he took up a teaching position at university and started to write and talk publicly about social and political issues in Thailand.