Thailand’s Prime Minister, a connoisseur of watches, handbags and luxury cars

Thailand’s young prime minister, 38-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra, in power since August 2024, is a wealthy woman. Forced by law to report her assets to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the head of government’s assets have just been officially estimated: 13.84 billion baht, or around 390 million euros. In a country where political subterfuge is as old as the Kingdom of Siam, such transparency is commendable.

In addition to land in Thailand and real estate in London and Japan – which is hardly surprising – the impressive sum also includes some other surprising assets. Not so much for their intrinsic value or the relevance of the Prime Minister’s decisions, but rather for their quantity. The list of possessions includes no less than 217 luxury bags (worth over 2 million euros), 75 watches worth 5 million euros and, most importantly, 23 luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce and a Bentley worth 300,000 euros.

Shinawatra’s wealth is also not all that surprising when viewed in the context of Thailand’s political scene, which includes many of the wealthiest people in the most unequal country in the East Asia-Pacific region. Several of her government’s ministers are among the richest in parliament, which includes many millionaires.

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