Hangthong Thammawattana

rdf:langString Hangthong Thammawattana

rdf:langString Hangthong Thammawattana

rdf:langString Hangthong Thammawattana

rdf:langString Unsolved death

rdf:langString Businessman, politician

rdf:langString Hangthong Thammawattana (Thai: ห้างทอง ธรรมวัฒนะ, also spelled Tumwattana; 20 November 1949 – 6 September 1999) was a Thai businessman and politician. He was the second eldest son of the , which had been involved in a long-running inheritance dispute; Hangthong became head of the family following his mother's death in 1990 and eldest brother's forced disappearance in 1991. He entered politics and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1995, representing Bangkok for the Thai Citizens' Party. The family dispute came to a head with Hangthong's controversial death in 1999. He was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in the family mansion with a gun in his hand in the early hours of 6 September. It was widely questioned whether the death was a suicide or a disguised murder, and Hangthong's brother Noppadol became a prime suspect. Multiple forensic investigations requested by the family's different factions resulted in conflicting outcomes, and it was not until 2010 that Noppadol was acquitted by the Court of Appeals.