Paribatra Sukhumbandhu

Marshal-Admiral Paribatra Sukhumbandhu, Prince of Nakhon Sawan (29 June 1881 – 18 January 1944), was a highly influential Thai military officer and government minister in the early 20th century during the last years of the absolute monarchy. He served as Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Army, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy, Naval Minister, Army Minister, Defense Minister, Interior Minister, and as a Privy Counsellor to both King Vajiravudh and King Prajadhipok.

Biography Prince Paribatra was the 33rd child (and 13th son) of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) by Queen Sukhumala Marasri. He joined his father for a journey to Europe in 1897, following which he entered the Prussian Cadet Corps to study at the Prussian Military academy at Groß-Lichterfelde.

Following his return to Siam, his half brother King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) appointed him Commander of the Royal Thai Navy, Minister of Marine and Minister of the Army. During the reign of King Prajadhipok (Rama VII), he was appointed Minister of Interior and was made member of the Supreme Council of the State of Siam, responsible for state affairs.

Prince Paribatra's considerable influence in the Siamese government was deemed as a threat by the Khana Ratsadon which organized the 1932 coup that ended the absolute monarchy in Siam. As a consequence, he was exiled from the kingdom to Bandung, Dutch East Indies, which was then under the Dutch administration. He died in 1944 while in exile, in Japanese-controlled Indonesia. His remains were repatriated by a Royal commission (a member of which was Prince Arjuna Suasti) in 1948.

A half-brother to two Thai kings, Prince Paribatra fathered eight children by his royal wife, Mom Chao (HSH Princess) Prasongsom Paribatra (Chaiyan). Two were sons, but only one, Chumbhotbongs Paribatra, lived to adulthood. Prince Paribatra also had a son with a commoner wife, Mom Somphan Paribatra na Ayudhaya (Palakawong), Prince Sukhumabhinanda - father of Mom Ratchawong Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the former governor of Bangkok.

Paribatra's principal Bangkok residence until his forced exile in 1932 was the neo-baroque styled Bang Khun Prom Palace, constructed by architects Mario Tamagno and Karl Döhring. It later became the headquarters and subsequently museum of the Bank of Thailand.

Siamese Revolution In June 1932, while King Rama VII was residing in the coastal town of Hua Hin, Paribatra, as President of the Supreme Council of State and Minister of the Interior, was the highest-ranking authority in Bangkok. On June 23, Paribatra received a report from the Director-General of the Police Department listing individuals suspected of plotting a rebellion and requesting authorization to arrest them. Paribatra was skeptical of the report, as he considered that the military officers named in it did not hold positions commanding combat units and therefore were unlikely to possess sufficient capacity to launch a successful coup. Moreover, many of those on the list were individuals whom he knew personally and had previously supported. Consequently, he declined to authorize the arrests, intending instead to conduct a full investigation to establish the facts.

In the early hours of 24 June, the revolutionary faction of about 50 men entered Bang Khun Phrom Palace without resistance. Paribatra was subsequently taken into custody and brought to the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall while still wearing his pajamas, together with other senior members of the royal family. At first, Paribatra believed that the leader of the revolutionary was Prince Boworadet, a former Minister of Defence. He later learned that the actual leader was Phraya Phahon Phonphayuhasena. On the following day, Paribatra was compelled to go into exile abroad, while Bang Khun Phrom Palace was confiscated as state property.

Ancestry