Falun Gong portal

New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television (Chinese: 新唐人電視臺; pinyin: Xīntángrén Diànshìtái) is a television broadcaster based in New York City, with correspondents in over 70 cities worldwide. The company was founded by Falun Gong practitioners. Its stated mission is to bring truthful and uncensored information into and out of China; to restore and promote traditional Chinese culture; and to facilitate mutual understanding between the East and West.^[1]

The company was referred to as NTDTV until mid-2010, when the preferred abbreviation was shortened to NTD.

History[link]

NTD was founded as in 2001 as a Chinese language station by a group of professionals who practiced Falun Gong. It was intended to offer an alternative to the Chinese government’s dominance in the Chinese media industry. The station has a regular focus on the promotion of traditional Chinese culture, and devotes extensive news coverage to Chinese human rights issues, taking a critical stance on abuses of power by the Communist Party of China.

Since its founding, NTD has expanded to include English, Spanish, Japanese, French, and several other language editions. Its content offerings include news and analysis, arts and culture, travel, entertainment news, health and lifestyle, and children’s programming.^[2]

The station's critical reporting on the Communist Party of China has prompted censorship and alleged interference with its reporting and business operations by the Chinese government.

NTD began broadcasting via satellite in North America in February 2002, and expanded its audience into mainland China in April 2004. At present, the station's satellite coverage reaches Asia, Europe, and Australia in several languages.

According to the Wall Street Journal, NTD is, along with The Epoch Times and Sound of Hope radio station, part of a media empire founded by and affiliated with Falun Gong practitioners.^[3][4] The Wall Street Journal reported in 2004 that the journal is registered as Universal Communications Network, which names top Falun Gong spokesman Gail Rachlin as one of its three directors. NTD's President Zhong Lee denied that NTD is a Falun Gong TV station, however, and maintained that the station's operation is independent from Falun Gong.^[5]

The station's broadcasts can theoretically reach 200 million viewers globally, including 50 million in mainland China, according to the Wall Street Journal.^[6]

Programming[link]

NTD broadcasts 24/7, and offers a variety of original and syndicated programming, including news, arts and culture shows, travel, entertainment news, health and lifestyle, and children’s programing.^[7]

The station is best known for its news and analysis segments, which have been noted for an emphasis on issues such as human rights abuses in China, including the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the station broke news of SARS in 2003, three weeks before the Chinese government admitted publically that there was an epidemic. (It went on to cause at least 774 deaths.) The station offered extensive coverage of democratic elections in Taiwan, and the death of purged former Chinese General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. The Chinese-language station regularly airs a video version of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, an editorial series offering a strong critique of Chinese Communist Party rule.^[8]

Cultural outreach[link]

As part of its mission to promote “appreciation and awareness of traditional Chinese culture,” NTD organizes and produces a variety of cultural outreach programs, including Chinese classical dance, martial arts, and culinary competitions. The station frames these activities within a context of reviving true Chinese cultural and moral traditions that have been lost under Communist Party rule.

From 2004 to 2006, NTD produced and televised an annual Chinese New Year Spectacular, a performance featuring classical Chinese dance and music. The show's performances contained ethnic and folk dances, dances depicting Chinese legends and moral tales, solo musical performances, and messaging and imagery sympathetic to Falun Gong, and included artistic representations of the persecution of practitioners in China. These shows have since been continued as traveling stage productions by a dedicated organisation, Shen Yun Performing Arts.

In 2008, the station began organizing a series of annual competitions open to ethnic Chinese participants in fields of classical Chinese dance, martial arts, traditional clothing design, painting, music, photography, and Chinese cooking.^[9]

Censorship[link]

NTD's anti-Communist Party stance and reportage on human rights issues in China has led to interference and political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and its overseas embassies.^[10] In turn, along with dissuading government officials from attending the New Year's show, the Chinese embassy in the United States accused NTD of being used to "spread anti-China propaganda" and "distorting Chinese culture".^[11]

In January 2007, a theater in South Korea scheduled to host the New Year's performance cancelled their booking at the last minute, which NTD alleged was because China threatened actions against upcoming Korean shows in Mainland China.^[12] It has also been reported that NASDAQ broke ties with the station around this time after Chinese pressure.^[13]

In June 2008, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ("RSF") accused Eutelsat of closing down transmissions of NTD through its W5 satellite to appease the Chinese government,^[14] and appealed to Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Berretta to quickly reverse its decision to suspend NTD’s use of Eutelsat. According to RSF, the NTD shutdown was a "premeditated, politically-motivated decision". RSF stated that they were in possession of a recording of a purported conversation with a Beijing employee of Eutelsat confirming the allegations.^[14] Eutelsat claimed that the shutdown was due to a technical failure, and denied the validity of the conversation.^{[citation needed]}

On 20 August 2008, the International Federation of Journalists released a statement calling on Eutelsat restore NTD and three radio stations including Sound of Hope. The statement accused Eutelsat of bowing down to political pressure, and argued how the approaching Beijing Olympics could have resulted in the Chinese government's increasing pressure to censor the broadcasting of NTD.^[15]

The European Parliament also called on Eutelsat to reverse their decision to shut down NTD. Following this, Eutelsat issued a press release and written declaration, denying all charges of censorship against NTD. The company insists that NTD's shutdown resulted solely from the technical failure experienced by W5 satellite, and adds that NTD is being broadcast across Europe via Eutelsat's HOT BIRD video neighbourhood.^[16]

In June 2010 the Canadian Prime Minister's Office cancelled a press conference that NTD and Epoch Times would have attended, so that Chinese President Hu Jintao would not come into contact with the broadcaster, allegedly following terms from the Chinese consulate. According to the Toronto Star, such press conferences are usually standard procedure for foreign leaders visiting the Parliament, and the cancellation was seen as an extraordinary measure to keep NTD away from the Chinese President.^[17]

References[link]

External links[link]

• NTD Official Site in English
• http://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/ ShenYun Performing Arts
• http://www.competitions.ntdtv.com/en/index.php/ NTD International Chinese Competitions

Jang Dong-gun
Born	(1972-03-07) March 7, 1972 (age 40) Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Spouse	Ko So-young (2010–present)
Korean name
Hangul	장동건
Hanja	張東健
Revised Romanization	Jang Dong-geon
McCune–Reischauer	Chang Tonggŏn
Website
jangdonggun.co.kr

Jang Dong-gun (born March 7, 1972) is a top South Korean actor.

Early life[link]

Spending his childhood in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, he later went on to the Korea National University of Arts, dropping out before obtaining a degree.

Career[link]

Jang Dong-gun first entered the entertainment world in a talent contest in 1992. He began by acting in TV dramas such as The Last Match, co-starring Shim Eun-ha, and he eventually made his film debut in Repechage (1997) together with Kim Hee-sun.^[1]

By the late 1990s he had become quite popular in Korea, but he also became one of the very first Korean stars to garner a fan following in other parts of Asia, after several of his TV dramas were screened there in the late nineties. In 1999, after acting in the critically acclaimed Nowhere to Hide as Park Joong-hoon's younger partner, Jang moved on to star in a feature that was filmed on location in Shanghai. Titled Anarchists, this tale of five young terrorists from 1930s China helped to elevate his status even further.^[1]

Jang's real breakout came in early 2001 in Friend, which smashed the box office record set by Shiri to become (at the time) the biggest Korean film of all time. After playing the nice guy in almost all his previous roles, this portrayal of a tough-talking gangster from Pusan led him to local stardom. The following year he also starred in the popular action blockbuster 2009 Lost Memories set in a futuristic Great Japan.^[1]

After appearing in the low-budget film The Coast Guard by controversial director Kim Ki-duk, Jang then took the lead role in Kang Je-gyu's Taegukgi, an epic film about two brothers set during the Korean War. Sure enough, this film would beat Friend's record with an astounding 11 million tickets sold. By this time, Jang's name had become known widely throughout Asia.^[1]

Jang followed this up with The Promise, a $30 million pan-Asian production by Chinese director Chen Kaige in which he played opposite Hong Kong star Cecilia Cheung. Meanwhile, he was cast in Typhoon as a modern-day pirate who has been betrayed by both North and South Korea. Directed by Friend's Kwak Kyung-taek, Typhoon set a new record in 2005 for the highest production budget in Korean film history at $15 million.^[1]

For the next four years, Jang kept a low profile in the Korean entertainment sphere as he worked on his Hollywood debut The Warrior's Way, also starring Kate Bosworth and Geoffrey Rush. The film encountered problems with post-production and distribution, and was only released in 2010.^[2][3][4]

He returned to the silver screen in 2009 as the nation's youngest (and most eligible) head of state in Jang Jin's comedy Good Morning, President.^[5][6]

He reunited with director Kang Je-gyu in My Way, a film set during World War II based on the true story of a Korean soldier who is drafted by the Japanese army to fight in the Battle of Normandy.^[7][8][9] A large-scale, ambitious pan-Asian collaboration co-starring Japanese actor Joe Odagiri and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, My Way is the most expensive Korean movie to date (with an estimated budget of $28 million).^[10] My Way was simultaneously released in Korea and Japan in December 2011.^[11]

His next film Dangerous Liaisons is a Chinese adaptation of the French literature classic set in 1930s Shanghai, directed by Hur Jin-ho and co-starring Zhang Ziyi and Cecilia Cheung.^[12][13][14] It premieres during Directors' Fortnight at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.^[15]

Jang will make his highly-anticipated return to television dramas in A Gentleman's Dignity, described as a 40-something male version of Sex and the City.^[16][17]

Jang is one of the highest paid actors and celebrity endorsers in Korea,^[18] consistently topping surveys by industry insiders of most bankable stars.^[19] He remains one of Korea's most beloved stars, not only for his projects but because of his gentle, kind image.^[20]

Personal life[link]

The famously private actor surprised the country in November 2009 when he went public with his two-year romance with Ko So-young.^[21][22] Since co-starring together in the 1999 film Love Wind Love Song, rumors about Jang and Ko had spread several times in the past, but both had consistently denied them. The announcement immediately sparked speculation of an impending marriage although it wasn't until March 2010 that Jang officially told his fans at a fan meeting that he would be marrying Ko in May.^[23] After months of media frenzy leading up to their nuptials,^{[24][25][26][27]} the two tied the knot on May 2, 2010 in an extravagant wedding ceremony at Seoul's Shilla Hotel which was attended by their A-list celebrity friends, swarms of reporters and fans from around the world.^[28][29][30]

Their son was born on October 4, 2010.^{[31][32][33][34]}

Jang is a practicing Buddhist, having first explored Buddhist writings while hospitalized in high school, after undergoing chest surgery.^[35]

Movies[link]

All movies below are from South Korea except as indicated.

Cover of KoreAm, December 2010

• Dangerous Liaisons (2012 )
• My Way (2011)
• The Warrior's Way (2010 )
• Good Morning, President (2009)
• The Promise (2005 )
• Typhoon (2005)
• Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
• The Coast Guard (2002)
• 2009 Lost Memories (2002)
• Friend (2001)
• Anarchists (2000)
• Nowhere to Hide (1999)
• Love Wind Love Song (1999)
• First Kiss (cameo, 1998)
• Holiday In Seoul (1997)
• Repechage (1997)

Television dramas[link]

• A Gentleman's Dignity (2012)
• All About Eve (2000)
• Ghost (1999)
• Springtime (1999)
• Love (1998)
• Ready Go! (1998)
• Myth of a Hero (1997)
• Model (1997)
• Medical Brothers (1997)
• Icing (1996)
• The Last Match (1994)
• Il Ji Mae (1993)
• Our Heaven (1992)

Discography[link]

• Dong-gun & Bon-seung (1998)
• Flying (1995)
• Friendship by Jang Dong-gun & Jun Chul (1994)
• Jang Dong-kun (Our Heaven OST) (1993)

Awards[link]

• 2009: Andre Kim Star Awards - Best Star Award
• 2007: Korea Broadcast Advertising Festival - Best Couple Award with Soo Ae for Maxim CF
• 2007: Chunsa Film Art Awards - Korean Wave Cultural Award
• 2005: Max Movie Awards - Best Actor for Typhoon
• 2004: Blue Dragon Film Awards - Best Actor for Taegukgi
• 2001: Blue Dragon Film Awards - Popularity Award
• 2001: Asia Pacific Film Festival - Best Supporting Actor for Friend
• 2000: Blue Dragon Film Awards - Popularity Award
• 1999: Blue Dragon Film Awards - Best Supporting Actor for Nowhere to Hide
• 1999: Baeksang Arts Awards - Popularity Award
• 1997: Blue Dragon Film Awards - Best New Actor for Repechage
• 1997: MBC Drama Awards - Best Actor for Medical Brothers
• 1994: Baeksang Arts Awards - Best New Actor, TV category for The Last Match

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site of Korea Tourism Org.: Jang Dong Gun
• Adonis Official JDG story
• Adonis International Fan Club
• Just Jang Dong Gun
• Jang Dong Gun América Latina

Her Excellency Yingluck Shinawatra ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร MPCh MWM MP
Prime Minister of Thailand
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 August 2011
Monarch	Bhumibol Adulyadej
Deputy	See list Yongyuth Wichaidit Chalerm Yubamrung Yuthasak Sasiprapha Kittiratt Na-Ranong Chumpol Silpa-archa
Preceded by	Abhisit Vejjajiva
Member of the Thai House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 July 2011
Constituency	Party List (#1)
Personal details
Born	(1967-06-21) 21 June 1967 (age 45) San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Political party	Pheu Thai Party
Spouse(s)	Anusorn Amornchat
Relations	Thaksin Shinawatra (brother) Somchai Wongsawat (brother-in-law)
Children	Supasek Amornchat
Alma mater	Chiang Mai University Kentucky State University
Profession	Businessperson and Politician
Religion	Theravada Buddhism
Signature	Yingluck Shinawatra's signature

Yingluck Shinawatra (Thai: ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร, RTGS: Yinglak Chinnawat, Thai pronunciation: [jîŋ.lák tɕʰīn.nā.wát]; born 21 June 1967), or nickname Pu (Thai: ปู; Thai pronunciation: [pūː ]; "crab")^[1], is a Thai businesswoman and politician, member of the Pheu Thai Party, who became the 28th and current Prime Minister of Thailand following the 2011 general election. Yingluck is Thailand's first female Prime Minister and at 44 is the youngest Prime Minister of Thailand in over 60 years.^[2][3]

Born in Chiang Mai province, Yingluck Shinawatra earned bachelor's degree from Chiang Mai University and master's degree from Kentucky State University, both in public administration.^[4] She became an executive in the businesses founded by her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, and later became the president of property developer SC Asset and managing director of Advanced Info Service. Meanwhile, her brother Thaksin became Prime Minister, was overthrown in a military coup, and went into self-imposed exile after a tribunal convicted him of abuse of power.

In May 2011, the Pheu Thai Party, which maintains close ties to Thaksin, nominated Yingluck as their candidate for Prime Minister in the 2011 general election.^[5][6] She campaigned on a platform of national reconciliation, poverty eradication, and corporate income tax reduction, but the ruling Democrat Party claimed that she would act in the interests of her exiled brother. The Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory, winning 265 seats in the 500 seat House of Representatives of Thailand,^[7] It was only the second time in Thai political history that a single party won a parliamentary majority, the first party was her brother's party, Thai Rak Thai.

Early life and business career[link]

Yingluck's great-grandfather, Seng Saekhu, was a Chinese immigrant from Guangdong who arrived in Siam in the 1860s and settled in Chiang Mai in 1908. His eldest son, Chiang Saekhu, was born in Chanthaburi province in 1890 and married a Thai woman, Saeng Somna. Chiang's eldest son, Sak, adopted the Thai surname Shinawatra ("routinely appropriate action") in 1938. The Khu/Shinawatra later founded Shinawatra Silks and then moved into finance, construction and real estate development. Yingluck's father, Lert, was born in Chiang Mai in 1919 and married Yindi Ramingwong. (a daughter of Princess Jantip Na Chiang Mai). In 1968, Lert Shinawatra entered politics and became an MP for Chiang Mai and deputy leader of the now-defunct Liberal party.^[8] Lert quit politics in 1976 and opened a coffee shop, grew oranges and flowers in Chiang Mai's San Kamphaeng district, and opened two movie theatres, a gas station, and a car and motorcycle dealership.

Yingluck Shinawatra is the youngest of nine children of Lert and Yindee.^[9][10] Yingluck grew up in Chiang Mai and attended Regina Coeli College, a girls school, at the lower secondary level and then Yupparaj College, a co-ed school, at the upper secondary level.^[11] She graduated with a BA degree from the Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, Chiang Mai University in 1988 and earned a MPA degree (specialization in Management Information Systems) from Kentucky State University in 1991.

Yingluck started her career as a sales and marketing intern at Shinawatra Directories Co., Ltd., a telephone directory business founded by AT&T International. She later became the director of procurement and the director of operations. In 1994, she became the general manager of Rainbow Media, a subsidiary of International Broadcasting Corporation (which later became TrueVisions). She left as Deputy CEO of IBC in 2002, and became the CEO of Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand's largest mobile phone operator.^[12] After the sale of Shin Corporation (the parent company of AIS) to Temasek Holdings, Yingluck resigned from AIS, but remained Managing Director of SC Asset Co Ltd, the Shinawatra family property development company. She was investigated by Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission regarding possible insider trading after she sold shares of her AIS stock for a profit prior to the sale of the Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings. No charges were filed.^[13] Yingluck Shinawatra is also a committee member and secretary of the Thaicom Foundation.

Yingluck received 0.68% of Shin Corp shares out of the 46.87% that Thaksin and his then wife held in 1999. The military junta-appointed Assets Examination Committee claimed that Yingluck made up false transactions and that “there were no real payments for each Ample Rich Co.,Ltd shares sold” and “the transactions were made at a cost basis of par value in order to avoid income taxes, and all the dividends paid out by Shin to those people were transferred to [her sister-in-law] Potjaman's bank accounts”. However, the AEC did not pursue a case against her.^[14] Yingluck claimed that “her family has been a victim of political persecution”.^[15]

She has one son, Supasek, with her common-law husband, Anusorn Amornchat. Anusorn was an executive of the Charoen Pokphand Group and managing director of M Link Asia Corporation PCL.^[16] Her sister, Yaowapa Wongsawat, is the wife of former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Political career[link]

Establishment of the Pheu Thai Party[link]

After the governing People's Power party was dissolved and its executive board was banned from political activity by the Constitutional Court on 2 December 2008,^[17] former People's Power Party MPs formed the Pheu Thai Party. Yingluck was asked to become the leader of the party but she declined, stating that she did not want to be Prime Minister and wanted to focus on business.^[18] Yongyuth Wichaidit became the leader of the party.

US diplomatic cables leaked in 2011 revealed that during a 9 September 2009 meeting, former Deputy Prime Minister and "close Thaksin ally" Sompong Amornvivat told Ambassador to Thailand Eric John that he did not envision a big role for Yingluck in the Pheu Thai Party, and that "Thaksin himself was not eager to raise her profile within the party, and was more focused on finding ways to keep his own hand active in politics." However, in a subsequent cable dated 25 November 2009, the Ambassador noted that in a meeting with Yingluck, she spoke with confidence about the "operations, strategy and goals" of the Pheu Thai party and seemed "far more poised" than in previous meetings. The cable cited Yingluck saying that, "Someone could easily emerge relatively late in the game to take the reins of the party and serve as the next Prime Minister."^[19]

Yingluck's bank account was among 86 bank accounts that the Abhisit government accused of being used to fund Red Shirt protesters during their demonstrations in 2010. Abhisit accused the Red Shirts of trying to overthrow the monarchy. However, the government did not pursue any legal case against her. The Department for Special Investigation found that from 28 April 2009 to May 2010, 150 million baht was deposited into one of her accounts while 166 million baht was withdrawn. On 28 April 2010 alone, 144 million baht was withdrawn.^[20]

Pheu Thai Party Leadership[link]

Yongyuth had stated his intention of resigning as party leader in late 2010. Speculation about a snap election in early 2011 heightened internal debate with regards to the party leadership. The front runners were Yingluck and Mingkwan Sangsuwan, who had led the opposition in an unsuccessful motion of no confidence against the Democrat Party-led coalition government. As late as 28 January 2011, Yingluck continued to rule out the party leadership, repeating that she wanted to focus on business. However, she was endorsed by veteran politician Chalerm Yubamrung.^[21]

On 16 May 2011, the Pheu Thai party voted to name Yingluck as the party's top candidate under the party-list system (and presumably be the party's nominee for Prime Minister) for parliamentary election scheduled for 3 July. However, she was not made party leader and she did not join the executive board of the party. The ultimate decision was made by Thaksin. "Some said she is my nominee. That's not true. But it can be said that Yingluck is my clone... Another important thing is that Ms Yingluck is my sister and she can make decisions for me. She can say 'yes' or 'no' on my behalf," Thaksin noted in an interview.^[22]

2011 Election and Rise to Premiership[link]

Election campaign[link]

Promotion for Yingluck Shinawatra and her party at Pathum Thani Province, July 2011

Yingluck's main campaign theme was reconciliation following the extended political crisis from 2008 to 2010, culminating in the military crackdown on protesters which left nearly a hundred protesters dead and thousands injured. She promised to empower the Independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (ITRC), the panel that the Democrat Party-led government had set up to investigate the killings.^[23] The ITRC had complained that its work was hampered by the military and the government.^[24]

Yingluck also proposed a general amnesty for all major politically motivated incidents that had taken place since the 2006 coup, which could include the coup itself, court rulings banning Thai Rak Thai and People's Power Party leaders from seeking office, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) seizures of Government House and Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi Airports, the military crackdowns of 2009 and 2010, and the conviction of Thaksin Shinawatra for abuse of power.^[25] The proposal was fiercely attacked by the government, who claimed that it would specifically give amnesty to Thaksin, and also result in the return to him of the 46 billion baht of his wealth that that the government had seized as a penalty. However, Yingluck denied that the return of seized assets was a priority for the Pheu Thai party, and repeated that she had no intention of giving amnesty to any one person. Abhisit claimed outright that Yingluck was lying and that amnesty to Thaksin actually was the Pheu Thai party's policy.^[26] The government blamed Pheu Thai for the bloodshed during the military crackdown.^[27]

Yingluck described a 2020 vision for the elimination of poverty.^[28] She promised to reduce the corporate income tax from 30% to 23% and then 20% by 2013 and to raise the minimum wage to 300 baht per day and the minimum wage for university graduates to 15,000 baht per month. Her agricultural policies included improving operating cashflow to farmers and providing loans of up to 70% of expected income, based on a guaranteed rice price of 15,000 baht per ton.^[29] She also planned to provide free public Wi-Fi and a tablet PC to every schoolchild (a Thai Rak Thai Party plan to provide one laptop per child was cancelled after the 2006 military coup).^[30]

Election results and the establishment of the government[link]

Exit polls indicated a landslide victory, with Pheu Thai projected to win as many as 310 seats in the 500-seat parliament.^[31] The official result was 265 seats for Pheu Thai, with a 75.03% turnout rate. There were 3 million invalid ballots; the large number was cited as the cause for the difference between the exit poll results and the official count.^[32] It was only the 2nd time in Thai history where a single party won more than half of the seats in parliament; the first time was in 2005 with Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party.

United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon welcomed the outcome of the elections and called for all parties to "respect the will of the Thai people as expressed through the democratic process." Aung San Su Kyi congratulated Yingluck, praised the election as “free and fair,” and expected “the ties between Myanmar and Thailand to get better.”^[33][34]

Yingluck quickly formed a coalition with the Chartthaipattana (19 seats), Chart Pattana Puea Pandin (7 seats), and Phalang Chon (7 seats), and Mahachon (1 seat), and New Democracy (1 seat) parties, giving her a total of 300 seats.^[35][36] Outgoing Defense Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon said that he accepted the election results, and after having talked with military leaders, would not intervene.^[37]

In her first post-election Facebook post, she said that her top priorities were peoples' livelihoods and national reconciliation. She promised truth, justice, and rule of law for all, and asked people to work together to achieve her 2020 vision.^[38]

Prime Minister[link]

Yingluck at the World Economic Forum, January 2012

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Proclamation on Appointment of Prime Minister dated 5 August 2011

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Proclamation on Appointment of Ministers dated August 9, 2011

Following the general election, the first separate session of the House of Representatives was held in the morning of 5 August to select a new Prime Minister.^[39] 296 of the 500 members of parliament voted to approve the premiership of Yingluck Shinawatra, three disapproved, and 197 abstained. Four Democrat lawmakers were absent.^[40][41] Somsak Kiatsuranont, President of the National Assembly, advised and consented King Bhumibol Adulyadej to appoint Yingluck Prime Minister on 8 August.^[42] The Proclamation on her appointment has taken retroactive effect from 5 August.^[43]

Yingluck has set up her Council of Ministers on 9 August. She and her Ministers were sworn in on 10 August.^[44] They must then complete addressing their administrative policy to the National Assembly. According to the Constitution, the address must be made within fifteen days from the effective date of the Proclamation on Yingluck's appointment.^[45]

Key members of Yingluck's cabinet include former Interior Permanent Secretary Yongyuth Wichaidit as Interior Minister, Securities and Exchange Commission Secretary-General Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala as Finance Minister, and former Defense Permanent Secretary General Yuthasak Sasiprapa as Defense Minister. Absent from Yingluck's cabinet were Red Shirts who had spearheaded protests against the Democrat Party-led government.

Polls from shortly after her cabinet was announced found that the cabinet rated most highly in terms of economic competency. It also showed that Yingluck was much more popular than her exiled brother Thaksin.^[46]

2011 floods[link]

The 2011 rainy season saw the highest levels of rainfall in Thailand in the previous 50 years.^[47] Flooding started in Northern Thailand in 31 July, a week prior to Yingluck's appointment as Prime Minister.^[48] Flooding quickly spread from the North to the Central Chao Phraya River Basin, and by the beginning of October, the province of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, was almost flooded. The floods were the worst in Thailand in over 50 years. Yingluck established centralised flood monitoring and relief operations in mid-August and made tours of flood provinces beginning 12 August.^[49] Yingluck also pledged to invest in long-term prevention projects, including the construction of drainage canals. Flood reduction measures were hampered by disputes between people on the different sides of flood barriers: those on the flooded side in many instances sabotage the barriers, sometimes resulting in armed confrontation.^[50][51] Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and military leaders called for Yingluck to declare a state of emergency, claiming that it would give the military greater authority to deal with embankment sabotage.^[52] A state of emergency had last been declared in 2010 during the Abhisit-government's crackdown on anti-government protesters. Yingluck refused to declare a state of emergency, saying that it would not improve flood management. Instead, she invoked the 2007 Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act and issued a disaster warning which gave her government greater authority to manage flood control and drainage.^[53]

Cabinet reshuffle[link]

On 18 January 2012, Yingluck reshuffled her cabinet, assigning six cabinet members to new posts, naming ten new ministers and deputies and dismissing nine members of the government.^[54] The regrouping was assessed as a step to increase loyalty to the head of government and a reaction to discontent with the government's management of the flood disaster.^[54][55] Especially noted was the choice of Nalinee Taveesin (Minister in the PM's Office), who is on a U.S. blacklist for alleged business links to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe,^[56][57][58] and Nattawut Saikua (Deputy Minister of Agriculture), the first leader of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD, or "Red Shirts") in the government.^[59][60][61] Yingluck's first cabinet had not incorporated any "Red Shirts" activists.^[62]

Royal decorations[link]

Yingluck has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand:

• Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant: 6 April 2012
• Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand: 20 March 2012
• Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant: 30 November 2011
• Member (Fifth Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand : 12 December 2008
• Member (Fifth Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant : 24 November 2004

See also[link]

• Pheu Thai Party
• Yingluck cabinet

References[link]

External links[link]

• Pheu Thai Party website
• Profile: Yingluck Shinawatra on BBC News
• Profile: Yingluck Shinawatra on CBC News
• Yingluck Shinawatra collected news and commentary at Al Jazeera English

v t e Prime Ministers of Thailand (List) Phraya Manopakorn Nititada Phraya Phahon Phonphayuhasena Plaek Phibunsongkhram Khuang Abhaiwongse Tawee Boonyaket Seni Pramoj Khuang Abhaiwongse Pridi Banomyong Thawal Thamrong Navaswadhi Khuang Abhaiwongse Plaek Phibunsongkhram Pote Sarasin Thanom Kittikachorn Sarit Thanarat Thanom Kittikachorn Sanya Dharmasakti Seni Pramoj Kukrit Pramoj Seni Pramoj Tanin Kraivixien Kriangsak Chomanan Prem Tinsulanonda Chatichai Choonhavan Anand Panyarachun Suchinda Kraprayoon Meechai Ruchuphan† Anand Panyarachun Chuan Leekpai Banharn Silpa-archa Chavalit Yongchaiyudh Chuan Leekpai Thaksin Shinawatra Chitchai Wannasathit† Thaksin Shinawatra Surayud Chulanont Samak Sundaravej Somchai Wongsawat Chaovarat Chanweerakul† Abhisit Vejjajiva Yingluck Shinawatra "italics" indicate military officeholders "†" indicate acting or caretaker officeholders.

v t e Thaksin Shinawatra Premiership Premiership of Thaksin Shinawatra Political activities Thai Rak Thai Shinawatra policies Political career Thaksinomics Controversies Finland Plot South Thailand insurgency 2006 political crisis Coup d'état Bangkok bombings Thaksinocracy Electoral history April 2006 Legislative election Family Potjaman Shinawatra (wife) Panthongtae Shinawatra (son) Seng Sae Khu (great-great grandfather) Chaiyasit Shinawatra (cousin) Yingluck Shinawatra (sister) Somchai Wongsawat (brother-in-law)

Armand Anthony Assante, Jr. (born October 4, 1949) is an American actor.

Personal life[link]

Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Katherine (née Healy), a music teacher and poet, and Armand Anthony Assante, Sr., a painter and artist.^[1][2] His father was Italian and his mother was Irish,^[3] and was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family.^[4] Assante was married to Karen McArn from 1982 to 1994, and has two daughters, Anya and Alessandra.

Career[link]

During the 1970s, Assante was a regular on two NBC soap operas, How to Survive a Marriage as Johnny McGee and The Doctors as Dr. Mike Powers. His first film was The Lords of Flatbush (1974), although the title credits misspelled his last name as Assanti. A role that brought him greater attention came in 1980's Private Benjamin as a handsome Frenchman who becomes the love interest of a U.S. soldier played by Goldie Hawn.

Assante's somewhat sinister look has made him a popular choice for tough-guy heroes, as in his starring role as private eye Mike Hammer in the film I, the Jury (1982) or as Mafia gangsters like that of Michael Moretti in Sidney Sheldon's Rage of Angels. He portrayed the notorious Bugsy Siegel in a comedy, Neil Simon's The Marrying Man (1991), another mobster in Hoffa (1992) starring Jack Nicholson, and crime kingpin John Gotti in the 1996 made-for-television biopic Gotti, for which he won his Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Other notable film appearances include one as a Cuban bandleader in The Mambo Kings opposite Antonio Banderas and in the adaptation of the science-fiction story Judge Dredd with Sylvester Stallone, his co-star in two previous films. More recently he appeared in American Gangster (2007) with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. He has had a recurring guest star role in several episodes of NCIS, playing the international arms dealer René Benoit. Outside of the U.S., he has participated in several film projects in European countries like Macedonia, Turkey, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Awards and nominations[link]

Emmy Awards[link]

• 1989 - Nominated Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Miniseries or a Movie for his portrayal of Richard Mansfield in Jack the Ripper
• 1996 - Won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie for his portrayal of Mafia Don John Gotti

Golden Globe Awards[link]

• 1989 - Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Jack the Ripper
• 1991 - Nominated Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Q&A
• 1997 - Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Gotti
• 1998 - Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for The Odyssey

Screen Actors Guild Awards[link]

• 1997 - Nominated - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie for Gotti

In 2010, Assante received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Canada.^[5]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

• The Lords of Flatbush (1974)
• First Ladies Diaries: Rachel Jackson (1975) (TV)
• Paradise Alley (1978)
• Human Feelings (a.k.a. Miles the Angel) (1978) (TV)
• Lady of the House (1978) (TV)
• The Pirate (1978) (TV)
• Prophecy (1979)
• Little Darlings (1980)
• Private Benjamin (1980)
• Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (1980) (TV)
• Love and Money (1982)
• I, the Jury (1982)
• Rage of Angels (1983) (TV)
• Unfaithfully Yours (1984)
• Why Me? (1984) (TV)
• Evergreen (1985) (TV)
• A Deadly Business (1986) (TV)
• Belizaire the Cajun (1986)
• Stranger in My Bed (1987) (TV)
• Hands of a Stranger (1987) (TV)
• Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story (1987) (TV)
• The Penitent (1988)
• Jack the Ripper (1988) (TV)
• Eternity (1989)
• Passion and Paradise (1989) (TV)
• Animal Behavior (1989)
• Q&A (1990)
• The Marrying Man (1991)
• Fever (1991) (TV)
• The Mambo Kings (1992)
• 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
• Hoffa (1992)
• Fatal Instinct (1993)
• Blind Justice (1994) (TV)
• Trial by Jury (1994)
• Judge Dredd (1995)
• Kidnapped (1995) (TV)
• Striptease (1996)
• Gotti (1996) (TV)
• The Odyssey (1997) (TV) - Odysseus
• The Hunley (1999) (TV)
• The Road to El Dorado (2000) (voice) - Tzekel-Kan
• On the Beach (2000) (TV)
• Looking For An Echo (2000)
• Last Run (2001)
• After the Storm (2001) (TV)
• One Eyed King (2001)
• Federal Protection (2002)
• Partners in Action (2002)
• Citizen Verdict (2003)
• Tough Luck (2003)
• Consequence (2003)
• Casanova's Last Stand (2005)
• Children of Wax (a.k.a. The Killing Grounds) (2005)
• Dot.Kill (2005)
• The Third Wish (2005)
• Mirror Wars: Reflection One (2005)
• Two for the Money (2005)
• Confessions of a Pit Fighter (2005)
• Funny Money (2006)
• Dead Lenny (2006)
• Soul's Midnight (2006)
• Surveillance (2006)
• Mexican Sunrise (2007)
• California Dreamin' (2007)
• When Nietzsche Wept (2007)
• American Gangster (2007)
• Shark Swarm (2008) (TV)
• La Linea (2008)
• The Man Who Came Back (2008)
• The Lost (2009)
• Smile (2009)
• The Steam Experiment (a.k.a. The Chaos Experiment) (2009)
• Chicago Overcoat (2009)
• Breaking Point (a.k.a. Order of Redemption) (2009)
• Magic Man (2009)
• The Bleeding (2009)
• Shadows in Paradise (2010)
• Killer By Nature (2010)

Television[link]

• How to Survive a Marriage (1974–1975)
• The Doctors (1975–1977)
• Kojak (1977)
• Mrs. Columbo (1979)
• Jack the Ripper (1988)
• On The Beach (Remake - TV miniseries - Australia) (2000)
• Push, Nevada (2002)
• ER (2006)
• NCIS - René "La Grenouille" Benoit (2007)
• October Road (2008)
• Chuck - Alejandro Goya (2010)
• Human Target (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Armand Assante at the Internet Movie Database
• Armand Assante at the TCM Movie Database
• Armand Assante at AllRovi
• http://www.assantefansite.dk/index.html