MANILA, Philippines — Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of the Kingdom of Thailand is arriving for a State Visit to the Philippines on January 19, 2012. President Benigno S. Aquino III is tendering a luncheon in her honor on January 19, 2012, in Malacañang.

Prime Minister Yingluck is visiting the  member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen partnership and cooperation. The Philippines and Thailand are Founding Fathers of the ASEAN, established on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand. The two countries, forged diplomatic ties on June 14, 1949, and over the years, they have signed a total of 15 bilateral agreements covering trade, investment, tourism, science and technology, agriculture, defense, labor, and taxation.

Prime Minister Yingluck is Thailand’s 28th Prime Minister, the first female Prime Minister in the country’s history. At 44, she is the youngest Prime Minister of Thailand in over 60 years. She was elected during the general election on May 19, 2011. Her father, Lert Shinawatra, was a Member of Parliament representing Chiang Mai. Her older brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, was Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006.

On May 16, 2011, the Pheu Thai Party nominated her as candidate in the 2011 general election. She campaigned on a platform of national reconciliation, poverty eradication, and corporate tax reduction. The Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory, the second time in Thai political history that a single party won a parliamentary majority. Her election follows an emerging global trend of female leaders such as German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, Liberia President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Croatia Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, and Argentina President Cristina Fernandez. She is married to businessman Anusorn Amornchat and they have a son, nine-year-old Suppasek.

The Manila Bulletin and Manila Hotel led by its Chairman Dr. Emilio T. Yap, Manila Hotel President Atty. Jose D. Lina Jr., Director Dr. Emilio C. Yap III and other Officers, welcome H.E. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Delegation of the Kingdom of Thailand on her State Visit to the Philippines. We wish her a successful and enjoyable stay in our country. MABUHAY!