Anutin Charnvirakul

Anutin Charnvirakul (Thai: อนุทิน ชาญวีรกูล; born 13 September 1966) is a Thai businessman and politician, currently serving as Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Thailand and leader of the Bhumjaithai Party since 2012. Born into a wealthy Sino-Thai business family in Bangkok with ancestral roots in Guangdong, China (Chinese name: Chen Xiyao), he earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Hofstra University, USA, and later served as president of the family construction firm Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction. He entered politics in 1996 as an adviser to the foreign minister and has since served as deputy minister of public health and of commerce, deputy prime minister and minister of public health (2019–2023), and deputy prime minister and minister of interior (2023–2025). Under his leadership, Thailand became Asia's first country to legalize medical cannabis. He was elected the 32nd Prime Minister of Thailand on 5 September 2025 and re-elected on 19 March 2026 after the February 2026 general election. His government prioritizes combating telecom fraud, advancing the China–Thailand railway and the southern land-bridge project, and promoting “China–Thailand one family” ties. As the leader of a key transport and trade hub on the southeastern Southern Silk Road, he advances China–Thailand railway cooperation, Lancang–Mekong trade, agricultural exports, cultural tourism and ASEAN economic integration, positioning Thailand as a major transit hub linking China, ASEAN and Global South markets.