Portrait of the new Prime Minister of Thailand

Mr. Srettha Thavisin, born in 1963, has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and a master's degree in business administration from Claremont Graduate School (USA).

Mr. Srettha joined the Pheu Thai party in 2023 as chief adviser to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter, Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

He started his business career as an assistant manager at the multinational corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G) in Thailand before joining Sansiri, his family's real estate development company.

Real estate billionaire Srettha Thavisin. Photo: AP

Mr Srettha was chairman and chief executive of Sansiri, now worth about $880 million on the Thai stock market, before resigning in April this year to enter politics.

According to Bloomberg , he left the luxury real estate development company by transferring all of his shares to his daughter. He also sold or transferred his shares in other companies.

Mr Srettha, a close friend of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is well-liked in the business community, with some 66% of 100 executives surveyed by Krungthep Turakij newspaper saying he was their favourite choice for prime minister.

Mr. Srettha had campaigned on promises of economic stimulus, social justice and good governance. He told Bloomberg in April that his priorities in his first 100 days in office would be to tackle the rising cost of living, end compulsory military service, ensure marriage equality for same-sex couples and draft a new constitution that represents the will of the people.

Mr. Srettha Thavisin. Photo: Bloomberg

During the election campaign, he also introduced the Pheu Thai Party's flagship policy of providing 10,000 baht (about 295 USD) through e-wallets to people aged 16 and above.

Mr Srettha will also follow through on Pheu Thai's campaign pledges, such as a 70% increase in the minimum wage, a guaranteed household income of 20,000 baht a month and tripling agricultural profits to lift economic growth to 5%.

According to Bloomberg , Mr. Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former businessman, accused Mr. Srettha of being an accomplice in helping a group of people evade taxes in 2019 when they sold a plot of land to Sansiri. Mr. Srettha denied any wrongdoing and filed a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Chuvit, seeking 500 million baht in compensation.

Standing 1.91 m tall, Mr. Srettha is an avid football fan. He is married to Dr. Pakpilai Thavisin, an anti-aging medicine specialist. They have three children.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/chan-dung-tan-thu-tuong-thai-lan-20230822171705613.htm