Thai PM Yingluck emerges from Thaksin’s shadow

By Martin Petty | From the Newspaper

Yingluck Shinwatra; the new Thai Prime Minister, rose from obscurity to being such a popular leader that she snatched the PM post despite strong political opposition

BANGKOK: With her stunning leap from the boardroom to head of government in less than three months, Yingluck Shinawatra has shaken up Thai politics with a revival of the populist legacy of her exiled brother and former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
The 44-year-old businesswoman was catapulted from relative obscurity to stardom in a matter of days, and, with her good looks and down-to-earth approach, she quickly won over the poor who elected Thaksin twice and saw Yingluck as their best hope of bringing him home.
A political novice who shied away from the spotlight in the past, Yingluck’s grace and modesty while taking on her brother’s enemies earned her widespread respect, even among opponents eager to score points but wary of disparaging her.
Just 48 days before the July 3 election, Thaksin’s Puea Thai Party was in disarray. Thaksin was trying to organise the campaign from his villa in Dubai, unable to come home because a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power awaits him.
His decision to thrust his barely known sister into the spotlight looked baffling at first but

'Hina Charms Indian Papers'

New Delhi: A flurry of flattering headlines yesterday greeted Pakistan's 34-year-old first woman foreign minister.

Hina Rabbani Khar, the news and youngest, 34 years old, Pakistani Foreign Minister, with her 79 years old Indian counterpart SM Krishna 

Hina Rabbani Khar's picture adorned the front pages of most Indian newspapers.

‘Pak Puts On Its Best Face', said The Times of India, the biggest-selling English-language daily, while mass circulation Hindi newspaper Navbharat Times said India was 'sweating over the model-like minister'.

 

‘Pak bomb lands in India', joked the Mumbai Mirror.

The Mail Today tabloid devoted space to Khar's choice of outfit and her fashion sense.

'Tasteful accessories — Roberto Cavalli sunglasses, oversized Hermes Birkin bag and classic pearl jewellery — added a hint of glamour to her look,' it said.

The Telegraph drew comparisons between Khar and her 79-year-old counterpart S.M. Krishna.

'In the unkind world of adjectives, the odds are stacked against SMK and in favour of HRK,' it said, using the ministers' initials. 'Khar carries with ease descriptions such as ‘stunning' and ‘petite'.'

India's style mavens estimate that her accessories alone -- a pearl necklace, Birkin bag and Cavalli sunglasses among them -- probably cost her upwards of $30,000,