Meet Thailand's Yingluck Shinawatra

Yingluck Shinawatra (Thai: ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร, RTGS: Yinglak Chinnawat; born 21 June 1967) is the current president of Bangkok-based property developer SC Asset Co., Ltd., and the youngest sister of Thailand's fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In May 2011, Thailand'sopposition Pheu Thai Party - which maintains close ties with the ousted premier - nominated Yingluck as their candidate for prime minister in the 2011 elections.

She's a bright star on the Southeast Asian political scene: setting up popular momentum to become Thailand's first female prime minister. Yingluck Shinawatra kicks off every campaign stop asking electrified crowds if they miss her brother — a billionaire ex-premier overthrown by the military five years ago. "If you love my brother," Shinawatra asks in a carefully choreographed routine, "will you give his youngest sister a chance?"

As this fractious Asian nation edges closer to July 3 elections and what many fear could be another era of unrest, the answer, at least in this rural opposition heartland northeast of Bangkok, is a roaring "YES!" every time.

Mong Palatino blogs:

Like in other countries today, Thai politicians are actively using the social media to reach out to a bigger audience. They have integrated the use of Facebook, Twitter, and pic badges in their campaign strategy. The hashtags #thaielection and #THelection are used to monitor Thai election updates on Twitter.

Both Yingluck and Abhisit have their respective twitter accounts. Tweet Yourself Thaicompares the tweets of the two candidates. Jon Russell has written two posts that discuss how Yingluck and Abhisit are maximizing the Internet for their electoral campaign.

The 44-year-old Yingluck has never held office. But in the space of just a few weeks she has catapulted to near rock star status on Thailand's political stage, becoming the opposition's main contender in the vote.

Yingluck is the youngest of nine children from Mr. Lert and Mrs. Yindee Shinawatra (daughter of Princess Jantip (Na Chiangmai) Raminkwong). She graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, Chiang Mai University in 1988 and a master's degree in Political Science from Kentucky State University, United States, in 1990.

(AP)

YouTube - Yingluck Shinawatra Press Conference
	21 min - May 16, 2011 - Uploaded by RatchaprasongNews The Pheau Thai party nominated Yingluck Shinawatra as their choice for Prime Ministerial candidate. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKi7pq0J5D0

Tags: Yingluck Shinawatra, Yingluck Shinawatra

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