Chin Sophonpanich

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Chin Sophonpanich (Thai: ชิน โสภณพนิช, Chinese: 陳弼臣, 1910-1988) was the founder of Bangkok Bank.

Chin was born to a Chinese immigrant father from Chaoyang,^[1] who was a sawmill clerk, and a Thai mother in Thonburi^[2]^[3], Bangkok, although some sources stated otherwise that he was born in Shantou before he migrated to Thailand.^[4] At five, Chin was sent back to China for education, and upon returning to Thailand he took up his first job as a manual labourer upon returning to Thailand at 17.

In 1944, Chin founded the Bangkok Bank, which started off with only two shophouses. The bank later expanded and diversified its branches into Hong Kong, and Chin lived in Hong Kong from 1957 onwards when Thailand came under the rule of Sarit Thanarat, after he fell out of favour with the former dictator. By 1972, the bank was listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Chin died at the age of 78 in 1988. He had two sons with his first wife, Rabin Sophonpanich^[5] (also known as Robin Chan), and Chartsiri, who succeeded Chin as its bank's chairman. Robin has since relocated to Hong Kong with his family, and his son, Bernard Chan later became a local legislator and its Executive Council member. One of his daughters, Kalaya, is currently serving as a member of parliament for the Democrat Party.

[edit] References

^ Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit. A History of Thailand. Cambridge University Press, 282.
^ Murray Weidenbaum, Samuel Hughes. Bamboo Network: How Expatriate Chinese Entrepreneurs Are Creating a New Economic Superpower in Asia. Free Press.
^ (Chinese) 陈弼臣父子两代情倾家乡教育
^ A diaspora of success
^ Founder Donors

Lynn Pan. The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas. Harvard University Press, 223, The Rise of Bangkok Bank by Michael RJ Vatikiotis. ISBN 0674252101.