The new looking PM designate - Yingluck Shinawatra

"Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Bhumibol Adulyadej Mahitalathibet Ramathibodi Chakkrinaruebodin Sayamminthrathirat Borommanatbophit" – is the title !!

The first time you see the photos, you can easily mistake her to be some actress or model !! – the youngest of nine children, a graduate in Political Science and Public administration and a Masters from Kentucky State University, she is in news for better reasons !.  Sure you know Siam, presently the Kingdom of Thailand, a country located at the centre of Southeast Asia,  bordered by Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia.  

What you see first the title of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  The kings in the current Chakri dynasty of Thailand are often referred to as Rama followed by Roman ordinal in English translation. The name Rama was adopted from the name of the Hindu god Rama, a reincarnation of Vishnu.  The use of the name Rama nth is in line with Thai practice of giving number to the king in the current dynasty.  Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927) is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX.  Having reigned since 9 June 1946, he is the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.  The king is officially titled Head of State, the Head of the Armed Forces, an Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths.

Thailand is the world's 50th largest country in terms of total area (slightly smaller than Yemen and slightly larger than Spain), with a surface area of approximately 513,000 km2 (198,000 sq mi), and the 21st most-populous country, with approximately 64 million people.  Its capital is Bangkok.  Thailand has had 18 coups or attempted coups since becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

Yingluck Shinawatra  is actually 44; she is the leader of the Pheu Thai Party, and the current Prime Minister-designate of Thailand following the 2011 elections. She is the sister of Yaowapa Wongsawat, former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat's wife.  Her brother Thaksin Shinawatra is a  former prime minister.  In May 2011, the Pheu Thai Party nominated Yingluck as their candidate for Prime Minister in the 2011 Thailand general elections.  Preliminary election results indicated that Pheu Thai won a landslide victory of at least 263 seats in the 500-seat House of Representatives of Thailand, making it only the 2nd time in Thai history that a single party won a parliamentary majority. Yingluck is set to become Thailand's first female Prime Minister.  

The contest was mainly between the ruling Democrats of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the opposition Pheu Thai.  Even before official results were in, exit polls indicated Pheu Thai won a comfortable majority of seats in parliament.  The victory marks a dramatic political reversal for Thaksin and his allies nearly five years after he was forced from power in a military coup.

Thai Prime Minister and leader of Democrat Party Abhisit Vejjajiva accepted defeat and congratulated Yingluck Shinawatra on national television, welcoming her as Thailand’s first female prime minister.

Yingluck is widely viewed as a proxy for her brother who, despite being twice popularly elected, was ousted by the military in 2006 over concerns he was growing too powerful.

Last year, clashes between soldiers and armed elements among Thaksin’s Red Shirt protesters left 90 people dead, most of them civilians.  The supporters of the  United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship are commonly called "Red Shirts", is a political pressure group opposed to the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

Whether her impressive good looks can provide impressive administration  also – only time can tell !! 

Regards – S. Sampathkumar.