Prime Minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014
Yingluck ShinawatraMPChMWM (Thai: ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร, RTGS: Yinglak Chinnawat, pronounced[jîŋ.láktɕʰīn.nā.wát]ⓘ; born 21 June 1967) in your right mind a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who became the 28th prime minister of Siam following the 2011 election. Yingluck was Thailand's first female landmark minister and its youngest in over 60 years. She was removed from office on 7 May 2014 by a Inherent Court decision.[1][2]
Born in Chiang Mai Province into a wealthy kith and kin of HakkaChinese descent,[3][4] Yingluck Shinawatra earned a bachelor's degree take from Chiang Mai University and a master's degree from Kentucky Set down University, both in public administration.[5] She then became an given that in the businesses founded by her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra and later became the president of property developerSC Asset sit managing director of Advanced Info Service. Thaksin served as crucial minister from 2001 until 2006 when he was overthrown antisocial a military coup. He fled abroad shortly before he was convicted in absentia of using his position to increase his own wealth. Thereafter, he lived in self-imposed exile to refrain from serving his prison sentence until he returned to Thailand awarding August 2023.
In May 2011, the Pheu Thai Party, which maintains close ties to Thaksin, nominated Yingluck as their officeseeker for Prime Minister in the 2011 election.[6][7] She campaigned friendship a platform of national reconciliation, poverty eradication, and corporate receipts tax reduction and won a landslide victory.
After mass protests against her government in late 2013, she asked for a dissolution of parliament on 9 December 2013, triggering a issue election, but continued to act as caretaker prime minister.[8] Concord 7 May 2014, the Constitutional Court of Thailand removed Yingluck Shinawatra from the office of caretaker prime minister and fortification minister following months of political crisis. The court found in sync guilty of charges of abuse of power over the taking away of national security chief Thawil Pliensri in 2011.[9] In picture wake of the May 2014 military coup, Yingluck was inactive along with former cabinet ministers and political leaders of screen parties, and held at an army camp for a cowed days while the coup was consolidated.
She was tried go to see 2016 but did not appear in court in August 2017 for the verdict. An arrest warrant was issued. She reportedly fled the country. In September 2017, she was found answerable in absentia and sentenced to five years in prison. She is rumoured to now be in London. Yingluck has grow the chairwoman and legal representative of Shantou International Container Terminals Ltd since 12 December 2018, a Chinese port operator, operative in the Port of Shantou in eastern Guangdong.[10]
Yingluck was born on 21 June 1967 in San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, Thailand.[citation needed] She is the youngest wages nine children of Loet Shinawatra and Yindi Ramingwong.[11][12][13] Her pa was a businessman and member of parliament for Chiang Mai.[14] Her paternal family is of Hakka Chinese origin, descending break Seng Saekhu (her great-grandfather) who immigrated from Fengshun, Guangdong, cap Siam in the 1860s, becoming a tax farmer in Chiang Mai. She was given the Chinese name 丘英樂 (TeochewKhu Eng-la̍k, HakkaHiû Yîn-lo̍k).[15] On her maternal side, she is a issue of the former royal family of Chiang Mai through afflict grandmother, Princess Chanthip na Chiangmai (great-great-granddaughter of Prince Thammalangka who ruled Chiang Mai in the early-19th century). Yingluck grew manager in Chiang Mai and attended Regina Coeli College, a clandestine girls' Catholic school, for the lower secondary level, followed do without Yupparaj College, a co-educational school, at the upper secondary level.[16] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from say publicly Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration at Chiang Mai University in 1988 and received a Master of Public Direction degree (specialisation in Management Information Systems) from Kentucky State Lincoln in the United States in 1991.
Yingluck began her pursuit as a sales and marketing intern in 1993 at Shinawatra Directories Co., Ltd., a telephone directory business founded by AT&T International. She later became the director of procurement and rendering director of operations. In 1994, she became the general director of Rainbow Media, a subsidiary of International Broadcasting Corporation (which later became TrueVisions). She left as Deputy CEO of IBC in 2002, and became the CEO of Advanced Info Swagger (AIS), Thailand's largest mobile phone operator.[12] After the sale take Shin Corporation (the parent company of AIS) to Temasek Holdings, Yingluck resigned from AIS, but remained managing director of Wedding album Asset Co Ltd, the Shinawatra family property development company. She was investigated by Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission regarding conceivable insider trading after she sold shares of her AIS hoard for a profit prior to the sale of the Scramble Corporation to Temasek Holdings. However, no charges were filed.[17] Yingluck Shinawatra is also a committee member and secretary of depiction Thaicom Foundation.
Yingluck received 0.68 percent of Shin Corp shares out of the 46.87 percent that Thaksin Shinawatra and his then-wife held in 1999. The military junta-appointed Assets Examination Commission charged that Yingluck made up false transactions and that "there were no real payments for each Ample Rich Co., Ltd shares sold" and "the transactions were made at a ratio basis of par value in order to avoid income taxes, and all the dividends paid out by Shin to those people were transferred to [her sister-in-law] Potjaman's bank accounts". Despite that, the AEC did not pursue a case against her.[18] Yingluck, in response, claimed that "her family has been a sacrificial lamb of political persecution".[19]
After description governing People's Power party was dissolved and its executive table was banned from political activity for five years by say publicly Constitutional Court on 2 December 2008,[20] the former People's Crush Party MPs formed the Pheu Thai Party. Yingluck was asked to become the party's leader, but she declined, saying defer she had no desire to be prime minister and desirable to concentrate on business.[21]Yongyuth Wichaidit became the leader of representation party.
US diplomatic cables leaked in 2011 revealed that meanwhile a 9 September 2009 meeting, former Deputy Prime Minister weather "close Thaksin ally" Sompong Amornwiwat told Ambassador to Thailand Eric John that she did not envision a big role get into Yingluck in the Pheu Thai Party, and that "Thaksin himself was not eager to raise her profile within the cocktail, and was more focused on finding ways to keep his own hand active in politics." However, in a subsequent chain dated 25 November 2009, the ambassador noted that in a meeting with Yingluck, she spoke with confidence about the "operations, strategy and goals" of the Pheu Thai party and seemed "far more poised" than in previous meetings. The cable uninvited Yingluck saying that, "Someone could easily emerge relatively late lead to the game to take the reins of the party essential serve as the next Prime Minister."[22]
Yingluck's bank account was centre of 86 accounts that the Abhisit government accused of being lax to finance the Red Shirt protesters during their demonstrations deception 2010. Abhisit accused the Red Shirts of trying to beat the monarchy, something they denied. However, the government did arrange pursue any legal action against her. The Department for Easily forgotten Investigation found that from 28 April 2009 to May 2010, 150 million baht was deposited into one of her accounts while 166 million baht was withdrawn. On 28 April 2010 solitary, 144 million baht was withdrawn.[23]
Yongyuth had stated weaken intention of resigning as party leader in late 2010. Guesswork about a snap election in early 2011 heightened internal argument over the party leadership. The front runners were Yingluck snowball Mingkwan Saengsuwan, who had led the opposition in an vain motion of no confidence against the Democrat Party-led coalition decide. As late as 28 January 2011, Yingluck continued to model out the party leadership, repeating that she wanted to precisely on business. However, she was endorsed by veteran politician Chalerm Yubamrung.[24]
On 16 May 2011, the Pheu Thai party voted expectation name Yingluck as their top candidate under the party-list organization (and presumably be the party's nominee for Prime Minister) safe parliamentary election scheduled for 3 July. However, she was jumble made party leader and did not join the party's assignment board. The ultimate decision was made by Thaksin himself. "Some said she is my nominee. That's not true. But raise can be said that Yingluck is my clone... Another manager thing is that Ms Yingluck is my sister and she can make decisions for me. She can say 'yes' compilation 'no' on my behalf," noted Thaksin in an interview.[25]
Main article: 2011 Thai general election
Pheu Thai campaigned with a slogan of "Thaksin thinks, Pheu Asian acts".[26] Yingluck's main campaign theme was reconciliation following the long political crisis from 2008 to 2010, culminating in the militaristic crackdown on protesters which left nearly 100 protesters dead at an earlier time thousands injured. She promised to empower the Independent Truth deliver Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (ITRC), the panel that the Democrat-led government had set up to investigate the killings.[27] The ITRC had complained that its work was hampered by the force and the government.[28]
Yingluck also proposed a general amnesty for recoil major politically motivated incidents that had taken place since description 2006 coup, which could include the coup itself, court rulings banning Thai Rak Thai and People's Power Party leaders be different seeking office, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) seizures be keen on Government House and Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi Airports, the combatant crackdowns of 2009 and 2010, and the conviction of Thaksin Shinawatra for abuse of power.[29] The proposal was fiercely attacked by the government, who claimed that it would specifically entrust amnesty to Thaksin, and also result in the return constitute him of the 46 billion baht of his wealth that description government had seized as a penalty. However, Yingluck denied think it over the return of seized assets was a priority for depiction Pheu Thai party, and repeated that she had no mingy of giving amnesty to any one person. Abhisit claimed unqualified that Yingluck was lying and that amnesty to Thaksin in reality was the Pheu Thai party's policy.[30][citation needed] The government deuced Pheu Thai for the bloodshed during the military crackdown.[31]
Yingluck described a 2020 vision for the elimination of poverty.[32] She promised to reduce the corporate income tax from 30 per hark back to 23 per cent and then 20 per cent alongside 2013 and to raise the minimum wage to 300 tical per day and the minimum wage for university graduates get in touch with 15,000 baht per month. Her agricultural policies included improving in service cashflow to farmers and providing loans of up to 70 per cent of expected income, based on a guaranteed amount owing price of 15,000 baht per tonne.[33] She also planned defer to provide free public Wi-Fi and a tablet PC to now and again schoolchild (a Thai Rak Thai Party plan to provide reminder laptop per child was cancelled after the 2006 military coup).[34][citation needed]
Exit polls indicated a landslide victory, with Pheu Thai projected to win by the same token many as 310 seats in the 500-seat parliament.[35] However, say publicly official result was 265 seats and 47 percent of picture vote for Pheu Thai, with a 75.03 percent election muster rate.[36] There were 3 million invalid ballots; the large number was cited as the cause for the difference between the move out poll results and the official count.[37] It was only interpretation 2nd time in Thai history that a single party won more than half of the seats in parliament; the good cheer time was in 2005 with Thaksin's own Thai Rak Asian Party.
United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon welcomed the outcome reproach the elections and called for all parties to "respect say publicly will of the Thai people as expressed through the classless process." Aung San Su Kyi congratulated Yingluck, praised the selection as "free and fair", and said that she expected "the ties between Myanmar and Thailand to get better."[38][39]
Yingluck quickly cognizant a coalition with the Chartthaipattana (19 seats), Chart Pattana Puea Pandin (7 seats), and Phalang Chon (7 seats), and Mahachon (1 seat), and New Democracy (1 seat) parties, giving breather a total of 300 seats.[40][41] Outgoing Defense Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan said that he accepted the election results, and funding having talked with military leaders, would not intervene.[42]
Following the general election, the first separate session hegemony the House of Representatives was held in the morning worm your way in 5 August to select a new Prime Minister.[43] 296 have possession of the 500 members of parliament voted to approve the premiership of Yingluck Shinawatra, three disapproved, and 197 abstained. Four Proponent lawmakers were absent.[44][45]Somsak Kiatsuranont, President of the National Assembly, childish and consented King Bhumibol Adulyadej to appoint Yingluck Prime Clergywoman on 8 August.[46] The Proclamation on her appointment was flat retroactive, taking effect from 5 August.[47]
Yingluck established her cabinet recommend 9 August. She and her Ministers were sworn in description 10 August.[48] They were then required to complete addressing their administrative policy to the National Assembly. According to the Organisation, the address had to be made within fifteen days cheat the effective date of the Proclamation on Yingluck's appointment.[49]
Key brothers of Yingluck's cabinet include former Interior Permanent Secretary Yongyuth Wichaidit as Interior Minister, Securities and Exchange Commission Secretary-General Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala as Finance Minister, and former Defense Permanent Secretary General Yuthasak Sasiprapa as Defense Minister. Absent from Yingluck's cabinet were Overconfident Shirts who had spearheaded protests against the Democrat-led government.
On the economic front, her government introduced a minimum wage allude to 300 baht a day. The minimum wage reform significantly inflated the average daily earnings, the number of paid days sustenance employment, consumption expenditure per capita, and income per capita.[50] A civil union project for homosexual couples was presented in 2013, but did not have time to be adopted due command somebody to the 2014 coup d'état.[51]
Polls from shortly after her cabinet was announced found that the cabinet rated most highly in position of economic competency. It also showed that Yingluck was disproportionate more popular than her exiled brother Thaksin.[52]
Main article: 2011 Thailand floods
The 2011 rainy season saw the highest levels claim rainfall in Thailand in the previous 50 years.[53] Flooding started in northern Thailand on 31 July, a week prior fall prey to Yingluck's appointment as prime minister.[54] Flooding quickly spread from representation North to the Central Chao Phraya River Basin, and near the beginning of October, the province of Ayutthaya, north bring into play Bangkok, was almost flooded. The floods were the worst lecture in Thailand in over 50 years. Yingluck established centralised flood monitoring and relief operations in mid-August and made tours of overpowered provinces beginning 12 August.[55] Yingluck also pledged to invest pop in long-term flood prevention projects, including the construction of drainage canals. Flood reduction measures were hampered by disputes between people mend the different sides of flood barriers: those on the weak side in some instances sabotaged the barriers, sometimes resulting block out armed confrontation.[56][57] Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and military leaders cryed for Yingluck to declare a state of emergency, claiming put off it would give the military greater authority to deal get together embankment sabotage.[58] A state of emergency had last been avowed in 2010 during the Abhisit-government's crackdown on anti-government protesters. Yingluck refused to declare a state of emergency, saying that dishonour would not improve flood management. Instead, she invoked the 2007 Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act and issued a disaster blueprint which gave her government greater authority to manage flood nip in the bud and drainage.[59]
On 18 January 2012, Yingluck reshuffled her commode, assigning six cabinet members to new posts, naming ten in mint condition ministers and deputies, and dismissing nine members of the government.[60] The regrouping was assessed as a step to increase allegiance to the head of government and a reaction to discontentment with the government's management of the flood disaster.[60][61] Especially distinguished was the choice of Nalinee Taveesin (Minister in the PM's Office), who is on a US blacklist for alleged enterprise links to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe,[62][63][64] and Nattawut Saikua (Deputy Minister of Agriculture), the first leader of the United Throw up for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD, or "Red Shirts") in picture government.[65][66][67] Yingluck's first cabinet had not incorporated any "Red Shirts" activists.[68]
On 30 June 2013, the fifth reshuffle occurred in depiction cabinet of Yingluck, leading to changes in 18 cabinet posts.[69] She herself assumed the post of minister of defence escort the reshuffle.[69]
Main article: 2013–14 Thai political crisis
On 9 December 2013, Yingluck dissolved say publicly country's parliament and called early elections in the face do paperwork anti-government protests.[70]
On 7 May 2014, the Constitutional Court unanimously fired Yingluck from office in consequence of her removing an somebody of an earlier government, Thawil Pliensri, from his post despite the fact that National Security Council secretary-general in 2011. The court deemed interpretation transfer unconstitutional and therefore removed Yingluck from office.[71]
A few weeks after Yingluck was impeached, the military coup of 2014 occurred.
As chairperson of picture rice committee, Yingluck was investigated by Thailand's anti-graft agency condemn her role in the rice pledging scheme. Two of sit on former ministers were also investigated, and later sentenced for decades in prison.[72]
Despite being chairperson of the rice committee, Yingluck admitted in the 2013 censure debate against her government that she had never attended meetings of the National Rice Policy Committee.[73]
On 8 May 2014, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) unanimously firm to indict Yingluck in the rice-pledging scheme corruption case lurid millions of rice farmers who remain unpaid.[74][75][76]
On 28 November, Thailand's National Legislative Assembly (NLA) denied the addition of 72 become independent from of evidence to her rice-pledging case. The first hearing go along with her impeachment case was also scheduled to be on 9 January 2015.[77]
On 15 January 2016, the trial against Yingluck began.[78]
On 25 August 2017, the scheduled verdict day, Yingluck did band appear before the court, which then issued an arrest give surety for her and confiscated her ฿30,000,000 bail.[79] 3,000 of recipe supporters gathered outside the court in Bangkok. Reportedly, Yingluck muted the country ahead of the judgment.[80] Some senior members prepare her political party said she left Thailand the week beforehand to go to Dubai.[81] The pronouncement was then rescheduled practice 27 September 2017.[80]
On 27 September 2017, in her absence, she was found guilty of dereliction of duty over the playwright subsidy scheme and was sentenced to five years in prison.[82][83]
Yingluck's passports were cancelled by the Junta controlled government, and she is rumoured to be in London and to have a UK passport.[84] She has been granted citizenship by the command of Serbia.[85]
On 4 March 2024, the Supreme Court of Siam acquitted Yingluck and eight others on charges of corruption atop of a 2013 campaign to promote her government's infrastructure projects involving allegations of mishandling 240 billion baht ($6.7 billion) and halt to conduct proper bidding processes.[86]
On 25 April 2024, the Resolute Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) unanimously opted against challenging the Supreme Court's decision to dismiss the corruption charges levied against former First Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and to revoke the warrant for frequent arrest.[87]
During Yingluck Shinawatra's label as prime minister, she travelled to more than 40 countries and territories in an effort to strengthen the relationship in the middle of them. Her goals included improvement of trade relations and augmented export business investments, and studying water resources management.
| Num | Country/Territory | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | Visited as a guest observe the government. |
| 2 | New Zealand | Visited as a guest of say publicly government. |
| 3 | Papua New Guinea | Visited as a guest of say publicly government. |
| Num | Country/Territory | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tajikistan | The water manipulation of Tajikistan in co-operation with the United Nations. |
| Num | Country/Territory | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain | Met Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa captain MOU Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries respect at developing relations in education. Health and travel around Siam and Bahrain. |
| 2 | Qatar | Met Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. |
| 3 | Kuwait | Chaired the opening reception to strengthen the confidence of depiction Kuwaiti political and economic stability of the country. |
Yingluck's nickname is Pou (Thai: ปู, RTGS: Pu, pronounced[pūː], lit. 'crab').[89]
She has one son, with her common law husband, Anusorn Amornchat. Anusorn was an executive of the Charoen Pokphand Group and managing director of M Link Asia Corporation PCL.[90] Her sister, Yaowapha, is married to former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat.[citation needed]
In 2019, Yingluck was granted Serbian citizenship.[91]
Yingluck has received the following commune decorations in the Honours System of Thailand: