director general of the Thai government's national police, who as one of a powerful triumvirate, with Luang Phibunsongkhram (Phibunsongkhram, Luang) and Sarit Thanarat, built a formidable armed force in an unsuccessful attempt to assert his individual authority.

Phao, of Thai-Burmese ancestry, joined in the coup of 1947 that restored Phibunsongkhram to power; he held various ministries in the new regime and was given command of the national police force. In a purge of Thailand's Communists in 1952–53 he directed a harsh anti-Chinese policy. His reputation was marred by charges of widespread corruption among police officials, who were accused of smuggling opium and profiteering in national commercial enterprises, and by the mysterious deaths of the regime's political opponents. In the early 1950s Phao and Sarit became more powerful than Phibunsongkhram, and the rivalry between Phao and Sarit led in 1957 to a bloodless coup that forced Phao and Phibun into exile.