Abhisit Vejjajiva อภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ 亞比昔

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhisit_Vejjajiva

Abhisit Vejjajiva ( English pronunciation (help·info); Thai: อภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ (Thai pronunciation), RTGS: Aphisit Wetchachiwa, [à.pʰí.sìt wêːt.tɕʰāː.tɕʰīː.wáʔ],traditional Chinese: 亞比昔; simplified Chinese: 亚比昔; born 3 August 1964) is the leader of the Democrat Party and27th and current Prime Minister of Thailand.

Born in England, Abhisit attended Eton College and earned bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Oxford.^[5] He was elected to the Parliament of Thailand at age 27, and promoted to Democrat Party leader in 2005, after his predecessor resigned following the party's defeat in the 2005 general election.^[6]

Abhisit became Premier at a time of global economic turmoil and rising domestic political tensions.^[10] As prime minister, he promoted a "People’s Agenda," which focused primarily on policies affecting the living conditions of Thailand's rural and working class citizens.^[11] He administered two economic stimulus packages: a $40 billion, three-year infrastructure improvement plan, and a more than $3 billion program that featured cash subsidies and other initiatives to help the poor, elderly, farmers and students.^[12] By 2010, the stock market and the value of the baht had rebounded to their highest levels since the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.

Mark A[bhisit] Vejjajiva^[20] was born in Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, attended Eton College (where he was known as "Veggie" amongst his peers)^[21], and earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy, politics and economics (PPE), first class honors, and a master's degree ineconomics from St John's College, Oxford. He also earned a bachelor's degree in law from Thailand's Ramkhamhaeng University, and taught atChulachomklao Royal Military Academy.^[22] He is fluent in both his mother tongue and the English language, and has dual Thai and Britishcitizenship.^[23] His dual citizenship became a topic for the Thai parliamentary debates in early 2011. He is ethnically Han Chinese^[24][25] ofHakka^[26] origin.

Abhisit was preceded in public service by his father, Athasit (อรรถสิทธิ์) Vejjajiva, a former president of Mahidol University and the Royal Institute of Thailand^[27] and who is now director of Charoen Pokphand Foods, Thailand's largest agribusiness firm and part of the Charoen Pokphand Group, known throughout Thailand as CP.^[28]

Abhisit is married to Pimpen Sakuntabhai, his former classmate at the Chulalongkorn University Demonstration elementary school who is a former dentist and now a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics at Chulalongkorn University. They have two children: Prang Vejjajiva (daughter) and Pannasit Vejjajiva (son). Abhisit has two sisters: child psychiatrist Alisa Wacharasindhu and author Ngarmpun Vejjajiva.^[29]

Abhisit's ancestors are Hakka Chinese of the Yuan (surname) (袁) who moved from Vietnam to Thailand. The family name Vejjajiva was granted by King Rama VI to Abhisit's great-grandfather Dr. Long (หลง), together with Long's father Nai Jinsang (นายจิ๊นแสง), grandfather Nai Pong (นายเป๋ง) and great-grandfather Nai Go (นายก่อ) while Dr. Long was serving as an Army Medical Department sub-lieutenant (รองอำมาตย์ตรี)^[30] The Vejjajiva family came to prominence when Dr. Long, then styled Phra Bamrad Naradura, rose to public health minister, and founded the Bamrad Naradura hospital in Nonthaburi. The family name has the meaning, "medical profession."^[31]