Abhisit Vejjajiva (Thai: อภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ) (born August 3, 1964), a Thai politician, has been the leader of the Democrat Party since February 2005. is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Thai political parties ...

Early life and education

Abhisit was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England to Drs Athasit Vejjajiva and Sodsai Vejjajiva. Both of his parents were both medical professors. His father was also a noted politician at the same time.^[1] Abhisit has two older sisters. After studying at Chulalongkorn University’s Demonstration School, he transferred to Scaitclife School and Eton College. (His sister's son later would become the first Thai King's Scholar at Eton College). , Newcastle upon Tyne (usually shortened to Newcastle) is a large city in Tyne and Wear, England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand [1] and has long been considered one of the countrys most prestigious universities. ... The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a public school (privately funded and independent) for boys, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, north of Windsor Castle, and... The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a public school (privately funded and independent) for boys, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, north of Windsor Castle, and...

Abhisit enrolled at Oxford University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree (first class honours) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He taught briefly at Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in Thailand, but returned to Oxford to pursue a Master’s degree in Economics. He then became a lecturer in Economics at Thammasat University. He also earned a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Ramkhamhaeng University in 1990. The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) is a popular interdisciplinary degree which combines study from the three eponymous disciplines. ... The Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (Thai:โรงเรียนนายร้อยพระจุลจอมเกล้า) is the military academy of the Thai army. ... Thammasat redirects here. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ... Ramkhamhaeng University (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง) is one of the two open universities in Thailand. ...

Family

Abhisit is married to Dr Pimpen Sakuntabhai, a former dentist and now a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics at Chulalongkorn University. They have two children. Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand [1] and has long been considered one of the countrys most prestigious universities. ...

The Vejjajiva are a prominent Bangkok family of Thai Chinese (Hakka)^[2] origin who maintained good relations with the ruling elite as long ago as the 18th and 19th centuries.^[3] One of his sisters, Ngarmpun Vejjajiva, is a reowned novelist.^[4] The Thai Chinese is a group of overseas Chinese born in Thailand. ... For other uses, see Hakka (disambiguation). ... Ngarmpun Vejjajiva (Thai: , b. ...

Entry into politics

Abhisit began his political career in 1992 as a Democrat MP for Bangkok. He was reelected to the same seat in 1995 and 1996. In the elections of 2001 and 2005, he was returned to parliament as a Party List MP for the Democrat Party. He has served as a Democrat Party spokesman, a Government spokesman, Deputy-Secretary to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs, Chairman of the House Education Affairs Committee and as Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office. Location within in Thailand Coordinates: , Country Settled Ayutthaya Period Founded as capital 21 April 1782 Government  - Type Special administrative area  - Governer Apirak Kosayothin Area  - City 1,568. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Legislative elections were held in Thailand on 6 February 2005. ... Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems used in multiple-winner elections (e. ...

Abhisit has occasionally been criticized for relying on his good looks to further his career. Morgan Stanley economist Daniel Lian, in a letter to then PM Thaksin, reportedly asked, "Other than his pretty young face, what else can he offer to the Thai people?"[2]. However, The Nation, a Thai owned English-language daily responded that "Abhisit’s ammunition is pure decency [and] unrivalled talent." [3]. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is one of the largest and the most reputed investment banks headquartered in New York City. ... Daniel Lian is Southeast Asia Economist for Morgan Stanley, based out of Singapore. ...

Democrat Party leader

In 2001, Abhisit made a bid for party leadership, taking on veteran politician Banyat Bantadtan. Abhisit lost. However, Banyat led the Democrats to an overwhelming defeat by Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party in the 2005 legislative elections. Banyat resigned and Abhisit was chosen to replace him. Thai Rak Thai Logo Thai Rak Thai (Thai: , lit. ... General elections were held in Thailand on 6 February 2005. ...

The Anti-Thaksin crisis

When Prime Minister Thaksin called a snap election on February 25, 2006, Abhisit said he was "prepared to become a prime minister who adheres to the principles of good governance and ethics, not authoritarianism." The very next day, however, he announced that the Democratic Party, along with other opposition parties, would boycott the elections. Abhisit joined the Thai Nation Party's Banharn Silpa-Archa and Mahachon Party's Sanan Kachornprasart in claiming the elections "lacked legitimacy" and were an attempt by Thaksin to "divert public attention" from his tax free sale of the Shin Corporation to Singapore. Abhisit also said what was likely from the short time allowed "was an election that would yield the outcome Mr Thaksin was expecting." Chart Thai Party (พรรคชาติไทย phak chaat thai), also translated as the Thai Nation Party, is a conservative political party in Thailand. ... Banharn Silpa-Archa (Thai: , born 19 August 1932 in Suphanburi Province) was the 21st Prime Minister of Thailand, from 13 July 1995 till 1 December 1996. ... The Great Peoples Party (Phak Mahachon) is a political party in Thailand. ... Shin Corporation (SET: SHIN; NASDAQ: SHNZY; NASDAQ: SHNVF; NASDAQ: SHNUF) is the largest conglomerate in Thailand. ...

On March 24, 2006, citing Section 7 of the 1997 National Constitution, Abhisit urged Thaksin to resign and suggested that King Bhumibol Adulyadej appoint a temporary replacement for the Prime Minister[4]. His Majesty the King dismissed the idea, saying that it would be unconstitutional. "Asking for a royally appointed prime minister is undemocratic," replied the King. "It is, pardon me, a mess. It is irrational." [5] Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thai: ; IPA: ; Royal Institute: Phumiphon Adunyadet;  ) (born Saturday,December 5, 1927 in the Year of the Rabbit), is the current King of Thailand. ...

Not surprisingly, Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai won an overwhelming majority in the virtually uncontested April election. However, it fell short of the required support of 20% of the registered voters needed to claim victory in several constituencies boycotted by other opposition parties. This required by-elections. Thai Rak Thai later charged the Democrat Party with bribing other small political parties to boycott the elections. (The Democrats denied this and were cleared of the charges by the Constitutional Court on May 30, 2007.)

The Democrat Party sued the Election Commission for voting irregularities and started a petition to nullify the elections. It also led a boycott of the by-elections. This article needs cleanup. ...

Election fraud charges

An 11-member fact-finding panel headed by Deputy Attorney-General Chaikasem Nitisiri voted unanimously on June 28, 2006 to dissolve the Democrat party (as well as the Thai Rak Thai party and 3 other parties) based on evidence that the party bribed other small opposition parties into boycotting the election of April 2, 2006. Abhisit met with political attaches from 20 countries in order to explain the charges. ^[5][6]

In February 2007, in a case before the Constitution Tribunal, candidates from the Progressive Democratic Party testified that they were duped into registering for candidacy in the April election. ^[7]

Three witnesses also testified that Democrat leaders Thaworn Senniam, Wirat Kalayasiri and Jua Ratchasi encouraging protesters to disrupt the registration of candidates during the by-elections after the April 2006 election. Prosecutors contended that the party tried to disqualify the election results and force continuous rounds of by-elections.^[8] Counter allegations ran amiss that these same witnesses were hired by opposing political factions to discredit the Democrats. Eventually, the Constitutional Tribunal acquitted the Democrat Party of all charges. ^{[9] [10]} Thaworn Senniam (Thai:ถาวร เสนเนียม) is a Thai politician and Deputy Secretary General of the Democrat Party. ...

Policy platform

On April 29, Abhisit announced his candidacy for Prime Minister at the Democrat Party annual congress. He promised an "agenda for people", with education as the main focus. He used the campaign slogan "Putting People First". He also vowed not to privatise basic utiliies such as the electrical and water supply and to nationalize those government enterprises that Thaksin had already sold off. [6]. Regarding core elements of the so-called "Thaksinomics", Abhisit promised "the benefits from certain populist policies, such as the Bt30 healthcare scheme, the Village Fund and the SML [Small Medium Large] scheme, will not be cancelled but instead improved." He later urged that Thaksin's popular 30-baht universal healthcare plan should be replaced with a system where access to medical services would be totally free. [7] Abhisit stated that future Democrat MPs would have to declare their assets and any involvement in private companies. (By law, only those who take government leadership positions need to declare their assets.) [8].

Abhisit raised over Bt200 million at the Democrat Party's 60th Anniversary dinner. He outlined several energy policies, including[9]:

• Increasing dividend payments from the PTT and using the funds to repay Oil Fund debts
• Allowing EGAT to bear the burden of rising fuel prices, since a non SET-listed EGAT would have no minimum return on investments

Abhisit later outlined plans to reduce retail petrol prices by eliminating the 2.50 baht/litre tax used to maintain the government's Oil Fund. However, his plans were criticised as distorting the market and discouraging measures to reduce oil consumption. Look up PTT in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is a state enterprise that owns and manages the majority of Thailands electricity generation capacity, as well as the nations transmission network. ...

On July 13, 2006, with escalating violence in the South, Abhisit promised to solve it by making the problems in the Muslim provinces a public agenda. [10] Combatants  Thailand Mujahideen Pattani Movement (BNP) Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) Pattani Islamic Mujahideen Movement (GMIP) Mujahideen Islamic Pattani Group National Revolution Front (BRN) Pattani Liberation National Front (BNPP) Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Commanders Bunrot Somthat Surayud Chulanont Wan Kadir Wan Che Casualties More than 3,000 killed 2,729 civilian...

Abhisit has also promised many populist policies besides free health care, including[11]:

• Providing free education, textbooks, milk and supplemental foods for nursery school students
• Increasing the minimum wage

Military coup

On September 19, just weeks before the scheduled elections, the armed forces seized power in a 2006 Thailand coup. Abhisit immediately voiced his displeasure at the coup just hours before all political activities were banned: Wikinews has news related to: Category:2006 Thailand coup The 2006 Thailand coup détat took place on Tuesday 19 September 2006, when the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the government of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. ...

Abhisit was criticized for his lack of action after the coup, with The Economist calling him "well-liked but ineffectual."[12] The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London. ...

Support for the junta's constitution

Abhisit supported the military junta's draft constititution on grounds that it was the "lesser of two evils". Abhisit said the Democrat Party considered the new constitution similar to the 1997 Constitution, but with improvements as well as faults. "If we wanted to please the Council for National Security we would reject the draft so it could pick a charter of its own choosing. If we reject the draft, it will be like handing out power to the Council. We have come up with this stand because we care about the national interest and want democracy to be restored soon," he said.^[12] Acknowledging the flaws of the new Constitution, Abhisit has also proposed, along with asking for cooperation from other political parties, to amend the Constitution once he is in power. ^[13] A permanent constitution for the Kingdom of Thailand is currently being drafted by a committee established by the military junta that abrogated the previous 1997 Constitution. ... This article focuses on the military junta that overthrew the elected civilian government of Thailand in the 2006 Thailand coup. ...

Notes

1. ^ Linda Waverley Brigden, Joy De Beyer. Tobacco Control Policy: Strategies, Successes, and Setbacks. World Bank Publications, 165, 172, 174. ISBN 0821354027. 
2. ^ วังน้ำเย็นขู่ ยกมือสวน โกงซีทีเอ็กซ์ บีบทรท.ไล่; แกะรอยสาวใช้ตัวแสบ ฉกเอทีเอ็มหนุ่มมาร์คกด 121 หน-กว่า 8 แสน
3. ^ Lynn Pan. The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas. Harvard University Press, 220, Thailand – Changes in its economic future. ISBN 0674252101. 
4. ^ The S.E.A. Write Awards a Thai Airways Sponsored Programme
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ The Nation, OAG proposes dissolution of Democrat, Thai Rak Thai, 3 other parties, 27 June 2006
7. ^ The Nation, [http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/02/02/politics/politics_30025769.php 2 February 2007
8. ^ The Nation, Witnesses link Democrats to registration delay, 23 February 2007
9. ^ The Nation, Historical rulings unfold, 30 May 2007
10. ^ The Left/Right Debate Thai Tribunal: Democrat Party Cleared Of Electoral Violations (Nasdaq), 30 May 2007
11. ^ The Nation, Abhisit criticises, then politics banned, 21 September 2006
12. ^ The Nation, Draft gets Democrats' vote, 9 July 2007
13. ^ Time Magazine, Is Abhisit Vejjajiva Thailand's Next Leader?

External links

• The Official Abhisit Vejjajiva Website - (in Thai only)
• "Abhisit's Fame Taken in Vain," The Nation (Bangkok), October 7, 2005
• Abhisit biography from Asia Week

See also

• Democrat Party (Thailand)
• Suranand Vejjajiva
• Thaworn Senniam