Paetongtarn shows her mettle in first official trip

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is in Doha, Qatar this week to attend the 3rd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Leaders' Summit from October 2-4, 2024, her first official overseas trip.

The ACD was initiated by her father Thaksin Shinawatra during his tenure as Prime Minister with the aim of providing Asian countries with their own platform for continental cooperation discussions.
Thailand previously hosted the 2nd ACD Leaders' Summit in 2016 and will assume the ACD Chairmanship on January 1, 2025.

Paetongtarn used her first international platform to demonstrate leadership, pushing for the ACD to become a policy-level forum for fostering cooperation across Asia.

Notably, Thailand’s second female Prime Minister is currently the only female leader among the 35 ACD member countries.

In Doha, Paetongtarn reaffirmed Thailand's readiness to chair and host the ACD meeting next year, telling the leaders in Doha that she envisions the ACD as a “converging forum of Asia” and stressing Thailand’s role as a bridge, working with all member nations to achieve peace and shared prosperity.

Paetongtarn highlighted the success of the summit, noting that several countries expressed interest in investing in Thailand.

Next on her agenda is attending the ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, Laos, from October 8-11. This will be a key moment for Paetongtarn to prove her leadership in bilateral talks with global powers.

Paetongtarn is also expected to play a leadership role in discussing solutions to the Mekong River water management crisis, with talks likely focusing on international cooperation to tackle flooding and drought.

At the ASEAN Summit, she will use the opportunity to assert Thailand’s leadership in implementing ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus to address the crisis in Myanmar.

Having served as Prime Minister for just a month, Paetongtarn is already facing significant challenges that are testing her leadership as the youngest of Thailand’s 31 Prime Ministers.

Her first challenge has been addressing the economic crisis affecting low-income citizens, with the Digital Wallet 10,000 baht scheme the first measure aimed at helping vulnerable groups.

She has also had to tackle the flooding crisis in several provinces, working to mitigate the impacts and prevent a repeat of the flood disaster faced by her aunt, former PM Yingluck Shinawatra.

On the political front, Paetongtarn faces ongoing uncertainty about her future, as political opponents, both professional and amateur, continue to file complaints with independent bodies in an attempt to remove her from office.

Recently, Paetongtarn demonstrated leadership by offering support and condolences to the families affected by the tragic school bus fire.

However, it is clear that the challenges ahead, both economic, social, and political, are far from over.
With three years remaining in her term, Paetongtarn’s government must continue to prove its effectiveness even as she faces the test of maintaining her popularity ahead of the next elections.