BANGKOK — Certainly, she is known as the daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. On Friday, August 16, she will also be recorded as Thailand’s 31st Prime Minister.
Although she has never been an MP or minister, Paetongtarn has long been involved in politics. She has accompanied her father on campaigns and met with the public during his term as the 23rd Thailand’s Prime Minister in 2001-2006 until the coup.
Her uncle-in-law, the 26th Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, was removed from office when the Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of the People Power Party in 2008.
Then, her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand’s first female Prime Minister, was ordered to step down by the Constitutional Court before the coup in 2014. She fled the country in 2017 before being sentenced to 5 years in prison for negligence in the rice-pledging scheme.
Paetongtarn dared to enter politics despite witnessing the fate of her father, her uncle-in-law, and her aunt.
She officially entered politics at the age of 36 during the Pheu Thai Party’s annual general meeting on October 28, 2021 at the Khon Kaen International Convention and Exhibition Center. At this event, Sompong Amornvivat, the then chairman of Pheu Thai, announced his resignation and Paetongtarn was introduced as the party’s chief advisor for participation and innovation.
Born on 21 August 1986, Paetongtarn is the youngest child of Thaksin Shinawatra and Khunying Potjaman Damapong. Her nickname is Ung-Ing. She has an older brother, Oak-Panthongtae, who is six years her senior, and an older sister, Aim-Pintongta, who is four years older.
She completed her secondary education at St. Joseph Convent School and Mater Dei School. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Chulalongkorn College and continued her studies at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, majoring in International Hospitality Management.
She then returned to run the family business. She became the largest shareholder of SC Asset Corporation Public Company Limited and a board member of the Thaicom Foundation. She also holds shares in other companies, including Rosewood Bangkok Hotel, Thames Valley Khao Yai and The Sisters Nails & More. As of 2022, it holds shares in a total of 21 companies with an estimated value of around 68 billion baht ($1.93 billion).
Paetongtarn married Pidok Suksawat in 2019. They have a daughter, Thitharn Suksawat, and a son, Phutchasin Suksawat, whom she gave birth to while supporting the party campaign. She gave birth to her child on May 1, 2023, just before the May 14 general election, in which Pheu Thai won 141 seats and came second behind the Move Forward Party by just ten seats, marking Pheu Thai’s first defeat.
However, Pheu Thai was able to lead the government by forming a coalition with former coalition partners from General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. Paetongtarn did not accept a ministerial post, but chose to become deputy chairman of the Soft Power Strategy Committee and remain leader of Pheu Thai, as Thaksin had previously stated: “Ing should stay in the party, Srettha in Government House.”
Before the Pheu Thai board voted for her as prime ministerial candidate, Paetongtarn shared a post of her sister having lunch with former prime minister Srettha in a good mood. She later revealed that Srettha also supported her nomination as Prime Minister to succeed him.
Paetongtarn’s ascension to the position doesn’t seem to be difficult; rather, it’s the mission of being Prime Minister that awaits her ahead.
The economic issue is an extremely challenging task for her, as Thailand, like many other countries, faces a difficult recovery situation in the post-COVID-19 era. Moreover, the decade following the coup has led to a prolonged economic downturn. Even Thaksin has remarked that the current situation is much more difficult than when he was Prime Minister.
On social media, clips of Paetongtarn’s campaign promises to improve the livelihood of Thai people have been used to mock, satirize, and even insult her, claiming that the government cannot achieve such goals.
Although she displays patience similar to her aunt Yingluck, Paetongtarn responds to criticism with a much more assertive attitude.
Therefore, her tenure is highly anticipated, as people wonder whether she can break the curse of the Shinawatra family’s leadership fate.
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