Samak Sundaravej (, , ; 13 June 1935 – 24 November 2009) was a Thai politician who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Defense in 2008, as well as the leader of the People's Power Party in 2008. Early life and family Samak was born in Bangkok, Thailand to Phraya Bamrungratchaboriphan (Samian Sundaravej) and his wife Khunying Amphan Bamrungratchaboriphan (née Amphan Chittakon). He was of Chinese ancestry (ancestral surname Lee (李)) and had five siblings. According to Samak himself, his Chinese ancestors came to Thailand in the late 18th century. Samak studied at Saint Gabriel's College and Assumption Commercial College, then graduated from Faculty of Law, Thammasat University. He also received diplomas from Chulalongkorn University and Bryant & Stratton College. Besides being a politician, Samak was a well-known television chef. For seven years before the military coup of September 2006, he had hosted a cooking show called Tasting, Ranting on the Thailand ITV television network and on Royal Thai Army Radio and Television. He said when he became Prime Minister that he would resume his career as a TV chef and did so, though warned not to. It is illegal for a government minister to hold any other paying job, and on 9 September 2008, the full bench of the Constitutional Court ruled it was unconstitutional for him to work for a private company (Thailand ITV) and therefore disqualified him from office. Samak was married to Khunying Surat Sundaravej, a financial adviser to the Charoen Pokphand Group. They had two children. Political career In 1968 Samak joined the opposition Democrat Party. Having strong ties to the military, Samak became head of the party's right-wing faction. In the 1976 general election, he defeated M. R. Kukrit Pramoj and became Deputy Interior Minister in the cabinet of M. R. Seni Pramoj. He quickly became prominent for arresting several allegedly leftist activists. In late August 1976, Seni sent Samak to Singapore to try to persuade Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn not to return to Thailand. However, writer Paul M. Handley claims Samak was a close confidant of Queen Sirikit and was told to guarantee royal support for the exiled Field Marshal. This is apparently supported by Samak's claim during a cabinet meeting that the King had not opposed Thanom's return. On 5 October, Samak was removed from his ministerial position, and in reaction organised an anti-government demonstration calling for