Hangthong Thammawattana

Hangthong Thammawattana (, also spelled Tumwattana; 20 November 1949 – 6 September 1999 ) was a Thai businessman and politician. He was the second eldest son of the Thammawattana family, which had been involved in a long-running inheritance dispute; Hangthong became head of the family following his mother's death in 1990 and eldest brother's forced disappearance in 1991. He entered politics and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1995, representing Bangkok for the Thai Citizens' Party.

The family dispute came to a head with Hangthong's controversial death in 1999. He was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in the family mansion with a gun in his hand in the early hours of 6 September. It was widely questioned whether the death was a suicide or a disguised murder, and Hangthong's brother Noppadol became a prime suspect. Multiple forensic investigations requested by the family's different factions resulted in conflicting outcomes, and it was not until 2010 that Noppadol was acquitted by the Court of Appeals.

Life and career Hangthong Thammawattana was born to Arkom Chatchaianand and Suwapee Thammawattana, the second son out of ten siblings (including an elder half-brother and an adopted sister). He graduated in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a master's degree in structural engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology. He entered multiple marriages, and had sons Changwat and Tanthong Tumwattana.

Hangthong's mother Suwapee was matriarch of the Thammawattana family, who own and operate the Yingcharoen Market in the Saphan Mai area of Bangkok's Bang Khen District. The family fortune was the subject of a long-running inheritance feud which involved multiple assassinations, attempts and disappearances. Suwapee died in 1990, and her eldest son Therdchai (Hangthong's half-brother) was abducted and presumed murdered in 1991. Hangthong, the eldest surviving son, subsequently became head of the family.