Ammar Siamwalla, one of Thailand’s most respected economists and a leading rice expert, has died at the age of 86.
His death was announced on Sunday by Somchai Jitsuchon, research director at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), who praised Ammar as one of Thailand’s foremost economists.
Admired for his intellectual integrity, courage and independence, Ammar was known for his deep fascination with data and numbers, he said.
Mr Somchai said Ammar once asked to work closely with the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council to better understand how GDP data were compiled. Ammar conducted key research studies on rice and farmers’ debts and took a leading role in addressing issues faced by the economy following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, he said.
Ammar also committed to studying the struggles of ordinary people, including poverty and household debt, Mr Somchai said, noting his work largely focused on agricultural economics and rural development.
‘I often told foreign academics that Ammar Siamwalla was the most brilliant Thai economist of his generation. Even today, I have yet to meet another economist who has impressed me as deeply as he did,’ said Mr Somchai. Mr Somchai said Ammar suffered from diabetes and various other ailments before his death.
Ammar’s funeral ceremony was held on Sunday at 11am at the Sulaimaniyah Foundation Cemetery in Thung Kru district. Born on May 29, 1939, Ammar served as the president of the TDRI between 1990 and 1995 and as a member of the National Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2008.
A descendant of Indian immigrants, he was the youngest child of Tahir and Khadijah Siamwalla, who owned a stationery import business in Thailand.
He attended Assumption College in Bangkok and St Paul’s School in Darjeeling, India, before earning his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of London and his PhD from Harvard University.
He later taught economics at Yale University and served as a special professor at Thammasat University before resigning following the Oct 6, 1976, massacre.