Childhood

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is the current Premier of the Kingdom of Thailand. Born in Newcastle, United Kingdom, to parents who were both medical professors, Prime Minister Abhisit graduated with a Bachelor’s degree (First Class Honours) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, at Oxford University. After graduating, Prime Minister Abhisit taught at Oxford University and Thammasat University in Thailand as a special lecturer in Economics. He also taught briefly at Thailand's Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. Prime Minister Abhisit's wife, Dr. Pimpen Sakuntabhai, is a mathematics lecturer at Chulalongkorn University and they have two children.

Career

Prime Minister Abhisit entered politics in 1992, as Member of Parliament of the Democrat Party. Over the years as a political leader, he had served as Deputy Secretary to the then-Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, leader of the Democrat Party and was voted one of the 6 rising leaders for Asia by Time Magazine in 1997. Mr. Abhisit was elected Prime Minister of Thailand on 15 December 2008, at the age of 44.

An anti-corruption leader

Prime Minister Abhisit has been a consistent leader against injustice and corruption. Though the turmoil threatens to cripple Thailand’s economy, the stable government stood firm to the principle of good governance. Since his government assumed office, attractive stimulus packages such as free healthcare and education, and higher minimum wage were passed to assist and help the most vulnerable and the poor in the country.

Introductory Official Visit to Singapore

On 22 June 2009, Prime Minister Abhisit paid a one-day introductory visit to Singapore and called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, President S.R. Nathan  and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew respectively. As fellow ASEAN member countries, both Singapore and Thailand agreed to step up bilateral relations - including economic and educational cooperation. In terms of the private sector, Prime Minister Abhisit said that Thailand was always open for business and encouraged Singaporeans to invest in Thailand because “the costs are low and the medium-to-long term fundamentals of the economy remain sound.” Prime Minister Abhisit also assured that he would make necessary adjustments to investment laws and regulations to make them more business-friendly.

His vision for the future

The government’s top priority is to get the economy back on track by the end of this year by upgrading the country’s infrastructure and creating new jobs for its people. That will involve irrigation, transport and communications, upgrading of schools and health centres, particularly in rural areas and upgrading tourist attractions. Prime Minister Abhisit remains optimistic about Thai politics and democracy. He says, “I am determined to do so through hard work, dedication, honesty and not losing sight of where we are going.”

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7780309.stm

For Prime Minister Abhisit’s Government Policy, please visit: http://www.thaigov.go.th/multimedia/vana/Policy_St2551.pdf