• Source: Kaset Rojananil

Air Chief Marshal Kaset Rojananil (Thai: เกษตร โรจนนิล, RTGS: Kaset Rochananin; 27 August 1933 – 3 April 2024) was a Thai air force officer. He was the Commander of the Royal Thai Air Force from 1989 to 1992 and briefly held Thailand's most senior military post, the Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces from April to July 1992.
Kaset was an alumnus of the 5th Class of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, and one of the leaders of the National Peace Keeping Council's 1991 coup against the government of Chatichai Choonhavan. After the coup he became head of Thai Airways International, and co-founded the pro-military Justice Unity Party. He was later demoted to general inspector of the Ministry of Defense.
As head of Thai Airways International, he famously noted that "we have received a lot of complaints that our air hostesses are not pretty enough—too old and unsmiling. And we must improve on that". He added that the airline had been hiring too many college-educated women and that "intelligent women tend to not be good looking." He noted that he had ordered airline recruiters to screen flight attendant applications "in the way beauty-pageant judging panels select contestants."
Rojananil died on 3 April 2024, at the age of 90.




Honours


1988 – Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
1987 – Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
1992 – Knight Grand Commander of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao
1962 – Victory Medal - Korean War
1968 – Victory Medal - Vietnam War, with flames
1990 – Freeman Safeguarding Medal, 1st Class
1968 – Chakra Mala Medal
1990 – Boy Scout Citation Medal of Vajira, First Class
1991 – King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal, 3rd Class




= Foreign honours

=
South Vietnam :
Armed Forces Honor Medal, First Class (1964)
Vietnam Campaign Medal (1964)
USA :
Commander of the Legion of Merit (1990)
Indonesia :
Bintang Swa Bhuwana Paksa, Utama Class (1991)
Japan :
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (1993)
South Korea :
Order of National Security Merit, Tongil Medal




References






Further reading


Interview with Kaset Rojananil, Manager Daily, 27 January 1993

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Kaset Rojananil
• Kaset
• 1991 Thai coup d'état
• Deaths in April 2024
• Order of the Crown of Thailand
• Black May (1992)
• National Peace Keeping Council
• Chatichai Choonhavan
• List of recipients of the Legion of Merit
• Anand Panyarachun