In Memoriam: General Saiyud Kerdphol, 1922 to 2026

It is with deep sorrow that the Rotary Club of Bangkok marks the passing of Past District Governor General Saiyud Kerdphol at the age of 104. A former Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, he first joined our club in 1969, served as our President in 1984-85 and as District Governor in 1991-92. He was the last of our club's Past District Governors and one of the finest gentlemen ever to wear the Rotary wheel. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Rotarian Eva Maria degli Albizi, and all of his family.

This week our club lost one of its pillars. General Saiyud first joined the Rotary Club of Bangkok in 1969, while he was still a serving officer, and over more than half a century he gave us his time, his wisdom and his friendship. To many of us he was a living link to our club's history, and to Thailand's own story.

He was a soldier who believed that lasting peace is won through understanding rather than force, and a Rotarian who lived that belief every day. He and Rotarian Eva were a constant presence at our meetings, for years achieving one hundred percent attendance. Even past his hundredth birthday he remained sharp, curious and generous with his memories, and those of us fortunate enough to visit them at home always came away the richer for it.

On behalf of every member of the Rotary Club of Bangkok, I offer our deepest condolences to Rotarian Eva and to the whole family. We share your loss, and we will remember him with gratitude and great affection.

Dr Jean-Pierre Verbiest, President, Rotary Club of Bangkok 2026-27

Born in 1922, General Saiyud did his early schooling in Sukhothai before entering the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in 1938. As a young officer he saw action in the early 1940s, and as a captain at the end of the Second World War he oversaw the surrender of Japanese forces at Nakhon Pathom in 1945. He served with the Thai Battalion in Korea in 1952 and went on to advanced officer training in the United States, Europe and Australia.

As a Major General he founded and led the Operations and Coordination Center of the Communist Suppression Operations Command. Faced with an insurgency that claimed to move among villagers "like fish in water", he chose not to meet force with force. His answer was to win the hearts and minds of rural communities through development and His Majesty's principles of self-sufficiency, remembering always that those on the other side were his own countrymen. In his words, "to catch the fish we will drain out the water."

This conviction that politics must lead the military helped lay the foundation for Prime Minister's Office Order 66/2523, the policy of the government of General Prem Tinsulanonda that put political solutions, development and reconciliation ahead of force and helped bring the communist insurgency in Thailand to a peaceful close. He also played a crucial part in opening the way home for young people, including student leaders who had left after the events of 6 October 1976, so that they could return to civilian life and rebuild their futures.

He retired in 1983 as Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and a four-star general. He then chaired the Prime Minister's Social Advisory Committee, was appointed an adviser to the Prime Minister in 1986, and spoke on peace and security at conferences across the region. He shared the lessons of his career in several books in Thai and English, among them The Struggle for Thailand: Counter-insurgency 1965-1985.

In recognition of his service he received some of the Kingdom's highest honours, including Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant, Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand, and Knight Grand Commander (Second Class, Higher Grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao.

Out of uniform he was gentle, disciplined and true to his principles. A strict vegan for many years, he founded the Thai Vegetarian Union, served as President of the Bangkok Vegetarian Society, and was a founder member of the Thai Centenarian Club, encouraging old and young alike to stay well through natural living.

General Saiyud was invited into the Rotary Club of Bangkok in 1969, nominated by his friend US Colonel Dick Weaver. His work with the hill tribes of northern Thailand had begun around the same time, built on his belief that real understanding of their situation was lacking. Members of our club warmed to his ideas after he explained them in an address to Rotarians, and our support for the hill tribe communities continued through the 1970s and 1980s. His Majesty the King graciously consented to preside as guest speaker at a fundraising event for the project, a kindness for which General Saiyud remained deeply grateful.

Official duties later led him to step back from Rotary, but he returned in 1981 and at once put his experience to work. He initiated and led the Khao Kho peace building project, one of our club's signature projects. A gala dinner on 15 January 1982 under his leadership raised 850,000 THB, and between 1981 and 1984 our club invested 780,000 THB at Khao Kho, building a Vocational Youth Training Centre and supporting local villagers in farming and economic self-reliance in an area only recently returned to peace.

He was installed as President of the Rotary Club of Bangkok on 28 June 1984, under that year's theme "Discover a New World of Service". Seven years later, under the theme "Look Beyond Yourself", he served as District Governor of District 335 in 1991-92. He counted establishing the Rotary Centre in Thailand and dividing Rotary in Thailand into four districts as his proudest achievements as Governor, and his final act was to help organise the last joint district conference with Malaysia.

For many years afterwards he served as an adviser to our Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Bangkok Rotary Club Foundation, and he remained a loyal friend to clubs far beyond Bangkok. As recently as January 2020, at the age of 97, he and Rotarian Eva travelled to join the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin at its Club Assembly.

On 3 March 2022 our club gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Erawan to celebrate his hundredth birthday, joined by friends from Rotary clubs across Thailand. True to form, he used the occasion to give back, presenting scholarships to military nursing students.

The funeral rites, under royal patronage, are being held at Sala 5, Wat Sommanat Ratchaworawihan, Bangkok. Our club has sent a wreath of royal blue and gold bearing the words "May his soul find rest", given as a donation to the Rotary Club of Bangkok Foundation in his memory.

The Rotary Club of Bangkok will host the evening Abhidhamma chanting on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 6:00 PM. Members and friends are warmly invited to join our President to pay their respects. Please wear black or dark mourning dress, and contact Khun Toi at the club office if you plan to attend.