Saiyud Kerdphol

Saiyud Kerdphol was born in Hat Siao, Si Satchanalai district, Sukhothai province, the son of Mutto and Riap Kerdphol, and was of Tai Phuan descent. Thai Wikipedia gives his birth as 30 March 2465 in the old Thai calendar, which Wikidata records as 30 March 1922; other sources give 1923. He had several siblings, including Phot Kerdphol, later a member of parliament for Sukhothai.

He attended Sawan Anan Witthaya School in Sawankhalok and graduated from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in 1940. He later studied at the Army Command and General Staff College and the National Defence College, and received scholarships for military study in the United States and Australia. Srinakharinwirot University awarded him an honorary doctorate in political science in 2000, and Naresuan University did the same in 2008.

Saiyud began his service as a platoon commander with the 29th Infantry Battalion at Phitsanulok. He fought in the Franco-Thai war, served with the Phayap Army in the Shan States during the Second World War and helped disarm Japanese troops in 1945. In the Korean War he was an intelligence officer with the first Thai infantry battalion and took part in the battle of Pork Chop Hill. He was one of the seven founders of the Thai command that directed operations against communist forces in the Kingdom of Laos.

In 1961 he became director of army operations, and he helped create the Internal Security Operations Command, where he served as chief of staff and director. He was promoted to full general in 1974, became Army Chief of Staff in 1978 and went on to serve as Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, receiving the ranks of admiral and air chief marshal in 1981. He was a leading advocate of the idea that politics should lead military action, the principle behind Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda's Order 66/2523, which is credited with helping to end the armed revolt of the Communist Party of Thailand.

He sat in the National Legislative Assembly from 1973 and later in the Senate. In retirement he chaired the People's Network for Elections in Thailand (P-NET) and was vice chairman of a foundation supporting democracy. In 1986 he also chaired the board of the Zoological Park Organization.

Saiyud married Khunying Uraiwan Kerdphol on 4 May 1954. Their son, General Aksara Kerdphol, became chairman of the Royal Thai Army's advisory board and a senator.

Saiyud Kerdphol died peacefully on 30 October 2026, at about 18:40, at the reported age of 104. His death was announced that evening by Wanwichit Boonprong, a political science lecturer at Rangsit University, who described him as a true legend of the professional military and highlighted his role in the politics-led strategy against communist insurgency. No cause of death was made public beyond his great age.

A royally sponsored bathing rite was held on 31 October 2026, followed by funeral chanting from 31 October to 6 November at Sala 5 of Wat Sommanat Ratchaworawihan in Bangkok. A royal cremation was scheduled for 7 November 2026 at the temple's crematorium.

Saiyud is remembered as one of the Thai officers who shaped the country's counterinsurgency thinking during the Cold War, arguing that winning over people through political and development measures mattered more than force alone. That approach is associated with Order 66/2523, under which thousands of communist fighters laid down their arms in the early 1980s. In later life his work with P-NET made him a familiar voice for clean elections. His honours included the Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the White Elephant, the Order of the Crown of Thailand, the United States Legion of Merit and Bronze Star, and decorations from Laos, Malaysia, South Korea and Australia.