Former deputy prime minister Amnuay Viravan passed away yesterday at the age of 90.
The cause of death was given as pneumonia, and the time 2.30pm, according to his family.
Amnuay graduated from the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy at Chulalongkorn University before pursuing master’s degrees in business administration and economics and a PhD in business administration from the University of Michigan in the US.
He began his government career at the Finance Ministry and held several key posts, including secretary-general of Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) and director of the Customs Department.
He started his political career as a consultant for Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn in 1963. He was appointed as a permanent secretary of finance in 1975, becoming the first permanent secretary with a doctorate degree at the age of 43.
Amnuay became a member of the National Legislative Assembly in 1973 and in 1980, was appointed finance minister. He was appointed a deputy prime minister in Chavalit Yongchaiyudh’s cabinet in 1992. He stood in the 1995 election but resigned as finance minister in 1997 after failing to resolve the impact of the global economic crisis.
Amnuay established the Nam Thai Party in 1994 and ran it for four years. He is survived by two children with Khunying Samornsri Viravan.