Former reporter and academic Thirapat Serirangsan claims he will work to increase freedom of the press in Thailand as well as reform national politics.

He incurred the wrath of the Thaksin-Shinawatra administration as a critic and kept in the headlines last year with his formation of the www.corruptionwatch group that embarked on an independent examination of alleged graft in the previous government.

The new minister was a co-founder of the Thai Rak Thai Party but quit shortly before the 2001 election.

He is currently a political scientist at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

Before he turned to academia he started his working life as a news reporter. As president of the Political Science Association of Thailand he has been a high-profile critic of the Thaksin government.
Thiraphat said he was preparing draft legislation to prevent prime ministerial conflicts of interest.
Thiraphat has a PhD in political science.