Pongpol Adireksarn

Pongpol Adireksarn
ปองพล อดิเรกสาร
Adireksarn in 1998
Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
In office 17 February 2001 – 11 March 2005
Prime Minister	Thaksin Shinawatra
Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister
In office 18 July 1995 – 24 November 1996
Prime Minister	Banharn Silpa-archa
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 27 March 1992 – 15 June 1992
Prime Minister	Suchinda Kraprayoon
Preceded by	Arsa Sarasin
Succeeded by	Arsa Sarasin
Personal details
Born	(1942-03-23) 23 March 1942 Saraburi, Thailand
Political party	Thai Nation (before 2000) Thai Rak Thai (2001–2006) United Thai Nation (2022) Sarng Anakot Thai (2022–2023)
Spouses	Jittima Sangkasap (Div.) Thida Adireksarn
Alma mater	Lehigh University (BA) American University (MA)
Profession	Politician writer documentarist
Other names	Paul Adirex (pen name)

Pongpol Adireksarn (Thai: ปองพล อดิเรกสาร, pen name Paul Adirex; born March 23, 1942) is a Thai novelist, documentarist and former politician.

Early life and education

Pongpol's father, Pramarn Adireksarn, was a Major-General of the Royal Thai Army who became a politician and co-founder of the conservative Thai Nation Party in 1973. His mother Charoen Adireksarn (née Choonhavan) was a sister of Chatichai Choonhavan, Thailand's prime minister from 1988 to 1991. Pongpol's maternal grandfather Field Marshal Phin Choonhavan was the leader of the 1947 coup d'état and commander-in-chief of the Thai army from 1948 to 1954. One of his aunts was married to police general Phao Sriyanond who was part of a triumvirate that ruled Thailand from 1952 to 1957. Pongpol is a scion of the powerful Soi Rajakru clan. His brother Yongyol Adireksarn was also a politician.

After attending the Catholic Saint Gabriel's College in Bangkok, Pongpol attended two universities in the United States, receiving a Bachelor of Arts from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1964 and a Master of Arts from American University in Washington, D.C. in 1966.

Career

Upon returning to Thailand, he was hired by the Department of Economic Relations, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and then served in the Thai Department of Central Intelligence.

After the 1973 popular uprising, Pongpol worked in the private sector with such positions as managing director of Royal Mosaic Exports Co., Ltd., president of Thailand Leatherwork Co., Ltd., and president of Express Transport Organization.

As a member of his father's Thai Nation Party, Pongpol was a member of parliament, representing Saraburi Province from 1983 to 1986 and March to June 1992. From April to June 1992 he also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Suchinda Kraprayoon's government. He served again as member of parliament from 1995 to 2000. He was Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister under his party colleague Banharn Silpa-archa from 1995 to 1996, and Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives under Chuan Leekpai from 1997 to 2000.

Then he switched to the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) of Thaksin Shinawatra under whose premiership he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education from 2001 to 2003. After the 2006 coup d'état, the Constitutional tribunal dissolved the TRT party and banned all of its leading members, including Pongpol Adireksarn, from political offices for five years.

Royal decorations

• Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
• Knight Grand Cordon of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand

Writing career

After losing the 1992 election and being out of politics temporarily, he started writing novels. He chose to use a pen name as he considered his Thai name to be to difficult for a foreign readership.

• The Pirates of Tarutao, 1994, ISBN 974-89020-2-1
• Mekong, 1995, ISBN 974-89244-8-3
• Until the Karma Ends, 1996, ISBN 974-89396-2-6
• The King Kong Effect, 1998, ISBN 974-89620-3-2
• Rattanakosin, 2005, ISBN 974-9754-05-0
• Chameleon Man, 2006, ISBN 978-974-94141-7-0

TV show host

He was also a photographer and documentary producer and presenter. Beyond The Blue Horizon was his nature travel documentary program aired early on Saturday mornings twice a month on Channel 3 from December 17, 2004 to December 21, 2024, a full 20 years.