Chumpol dies of heart failure at 72

Chumpol dies of heart failure at 72

Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa died from heart failure yesterday. He was 72.

Chumpol: Passed out on Dec 17

Chumpol, who was also Chartthaipattana Party leader, had collapsed suffering heart problems at Government House on Dec 17.

He was pronounced dead at 9.39am at Ramathibodi Hospital, his elder brother and Chartthaipattana chief adviser Banharn Silpa-archa said.

"His condition improved slightly after he passed out, but had deteriorated over the past few days," Mr Banharn said.

The funeral rites will be held at Pavilion 1 of Wat Thepsirin. Royal bathing rites will be held today at 2pm. The chanting ceremony will be held from today until next Thursday.

Chumpol served as education minister in the Chuan Leekpai administration in 1997. He became leader of the Chartthaipattana Party after the Chart Thai Party was ordered dissolved by the Constitution Court for electoral fraud in 2008.

His party then sided with the Democrats and he was appointed as tourism and sports minister under the Abhisit Vejjajiva government. In 2011, Chartthaipattana changed sides again after the Pheu Thai Party won the election. Chumpol remained the minister of tourism and sports and was later made a deputy prime minister in the present government.

Meanwhile, a Pheu Thai source said a cabinet reshuffle will soon replace Chumpol. A few Pheu Thai ministers would be changed too. The reshuffle may follow the Constitution Court's ruling on whether PM's Office Minister Varathep Rattanakorn can keep his cabinet seat.

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