Abhisit Vejjajiva

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Abhisit Vejjajiva bigraphy, stories - Thai politician

Abhisit Vejjajiva : biography

3 August 1964 –

Abhisit Vejjajiva ( (), , ; born Mark Abhisit Vejjajiva; 3 August 1964 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a Thai politician who was the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011 and is the current leader of the Democrat Party. As leader of the second largest party in the House of Representatives, he is also Leader of the Opposition – a position he held since December 2008.

Born in England, Abhisit attended Eton College and earned bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Oxford.Telegraph, , 15 December 2008 He was elected to the Parliament of Thailand at age 27, and promoted to Democrat Party leader in 2005, after his predecessor resigned following the party’s defeat in the 2005 general election.New York Times, , 8 February 2005

Abhisit was appointed Prime Minister of Thailand on 17 December 2008, after the Constitutional Court of Thailand removed Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from office.Telegraph, , 2 December 2008Xinhua, , 17 December 2008 At age 44, he was the country’s youngest prime minister in more than 60 years.CNN, , 18 December 2008

Abhisit became Premier at a time of global economic turmoil and rising domestic political tensions.Korea Times, , 17 April 2009 As prime minister, he promoted a "People’s Agenda," which focused primarily on policies affecting the living conditions of Thailand’s rural and working class citizens.Global Asia, , Volume 2, Number 2, Fall 2007 He administered two economic stimulus packages: a $40 billion, three-year infrastructure improvement plan, and a more than $3 billion program of cash subsidies and handouts.Forbes, , 24 September 2010 By 2010, the stock market and the value of the baht had rebounded to their highest levels since the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Human Rights Watch called Abhisit "the most prolific censor in recent Thai history" and Freedom House downgraded Thailand’s rating of media freedom to "not free."Human Rights Watch, , 27 April 2011

Abhisit’s government faced major protests in April 2009 and April–May 2010. The military’s crackdowns on protesters left many dead.Bangkok Post, , 17 June 2010New York Times, , 10 June 2010 Abhisit launched a reconciliation plan to investigate the crackdown, but the work of the investigation commission was hampered by military and government agencies.Bangkok Post, , 21 April 2011 The Thai Army clashed with Cambodian troops numerous times from 2009 to 2010 in the bloodiest fighting in over 2 decades.Reuters, , 22 April 2011 The South Thailand insurgency escalated during Abhisit’s government, and reports of torture and human rights violations increased.

Having resigned the party leadership after the defeat the Democrats suffered in the parliamentary elections of 2011, Abhisit was re-elected as leader at a party assembly.

Wealth

Upon his appointment as Prime Minister in 2008, Abhisit’s officially declared personal assets worth 51.8 million baht (nearly $2 million). This increased to 54.4 million upon leaving office. Given that Abhisit has never worked in the private sector, the vast majority of his wealth was either inherited or gifted to him.The Guardian, , 28 September 2011

Royal decorations

Abhisit has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand:

Early political career

Entry into politics

Abhisit began his political career in the 1992 general elections that followed the coup, becoming a Bangkok MP for the Democrat Party. He was re-elected to the same seat in the 1995 and 1996 general elections. In the elections of 2001 and 2005, he returned to parliament as a Party List MP for the Democrat Party. He has served as Democrat Party spokesman, Government spokesman, Deputy-Secretary to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs, Chairman of the House Education Affairs Committee, and Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Democrat Party leader

Abhisit was first nominated for the position of Democrat Party leader in 2003, following the resignation of then-party leader and former-Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. However, he lost the bid in a close election with seasoned politician Banyat Bantadtan.Asian Tribune, , 21 April 2003 Two years later, Banyat led the Democrat Party to an overwhelming defeat in the 2005 general elections. Banyat resigned following the elections and Abhisit was named the new party leader.