Kraisak Choonhavan

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Kraisak Choonhavan (Thai: ไกรศักดิ์ ชุณหะวัณ, born 8 October 1947 in Bangkok) is a Thai politician. He was a member of the Senate for Nakhon Ratchasima Province from 2000 till 2006.

Born as son of former prime minister General Chatichai Choonhavan and Than Phu Ying Bunruen Choonhavan, Kraisak received a Bachelor Degree in Political Science at the George Washington University, U.S., and Master degree at the University of London, United Kingdom. Before being elected to the senate he was adviser to the Prime Minister (1989-91) and adviser to Governor of Bangkok (1996-99). He was a Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate prior to the 2006 Thailand coup.

After the coup, one of his aides claimed that the military junta approached him to become the foreign minister of the interim civilian government.^[1] However, the junta ended up choosing someone else.

It was later revealed that the military junta paid him to criticize deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.^[2]